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Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Hey CHIEF, You Have BEEN Set Free! - Purity 1249

Purity 1249 01/16/2024 Purity 1249 Podcast

Purity 1249 on YouTube:

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the sun setting on the horizon of a large unknown body of water comes to us from a similarly unknown Facebook friend who shared this serene scene on social media on or around June 22^nd, 2023, causing me to save it for today’s use. If this photo is yours, give me a heads up and I will give photo credit to where photo credit is due by updating the blog after the fact.

Well, It’s Tuesday and I wanted to clean house by liberating another photo from my phone’s photo gallery, but can I tell you, it’s even more liberating to talk to my brothers and sisters in Christ about experiencing their freedom in Christ by sharing what the Lord has done for me.

Last night, I hosted the second meeting of the Men’s Freedom in Christ course and although I was encouraged by the return of the faithful who showed up, we had three empty spots on our Zoom screen that were occupied last week. While the NFL playoff games, busy schedules, and prior commitments could explain those empty spots, I have to wonder if their absences are the product of demonic interference that could subtly suggest that these men didn’t need the Freedom in Christ course, that it was a waste of time, or was something they just didn’t want to go through with.

In my initial presentation, I didn’t hold back in declaring the full scope of the freedom that was possible when you follow the Lord. I gave testimony of how the Lord set me free from alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality, and food addiction (still fighting that one – and despite a weekend indulgence – I’m still winning) and I declared that what the Lord had done for me was possible for them.

But change is hard and the idea of freedom and the reality of actually walking in freedom can be two different things, and sometimes the enemy will influence Christians to believe that purity or freedom are nice ideas but just aren’t possible in the “real world”.

Yesterday, we went over the lesson on our identity in Christ, and I attempted to encourage the men to understand that the things on the Who I am in Christ list weren't just doctrinal or theological principles, they are spiritual realities that can manifest in the real world if they accept them in their hearts and minds and decide to live according to the truth. As compelling as the material is in making the case that Christians are no longer sinners – but are saints, albeit who sometimes sin, those ingrained beliefs about ourselves can be hard to throw off and even though I thought the lesson dealt with this issue adequately, I quickly learned that the renewing of the mind is a process and these new ideas may take some time to get used to.

One of the men actually did a “Bill Clinton” on me, by asking about Paul’s statement in

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV) where He said:
¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Although Bible scholars point out that Paul is likely referring to his past sins rather than a current degenerate lifestyle (he was spreading the gospel and building churches. He was in prison for his faith – not his sinful life – after all), This man pointed out that “Paul didn’t say, I was a sinner, he said “I am” a sinner.

This man’s question was a good one, but if we recall the enemy’s tactics in the garden of Eden (did God say?), I have to wonder where his heart is or where his head is because his question is the devil’s advocate for a permissive attitude toward sin.

The logic goes like this. Well, Paul is the chief sinner – so sin is okay – or impossible to overcome. This argument is usually backed up by the “sinners saved by grace crowd” with Romans 7, or

1 John 1:8 (NKJV) that says
⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

But these same Bible verse cherry pickers ignore the fact that the whole counsel of the word of God encourages us to repent and to say no to sin and to become more and more like Jesus – who didn’t sin. Right?

Oh and Paul, The Chief Sinner right? He also said:

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NKJV)
³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

Not only does Paul clearly say that God’s will for us is to be sanctified – to be holy – stop sinning – he is specific to include the sin that trips most people up – sexual immorality.

Instead of see the big picture of trying to follow Jesus’ sinless example into a lifestyle of progressive sanctification (it progressive for us – we need to walk and grow into it – only Jesus was sinless), this man’s question was about the verb tense of the original Greek word that somehow would create a loophole through which we could be a Chief Sinner - Nonsense!

And that’s what happens, when we refuse to FOLLOW the Lord – when we refuse to see our sin as something that needs to stop – or that gets overly concerned with arguments over doctrine.

“What if someone points this verse out and says they don’t have to stop sinning?”

Well, point to the rest of the book, maybe? Maybe? Point to Jesus, maybe – the one who was without sin? Oh and remember, even though we are trying to walk in His footsteps WE ARE NOT JESUS - so did Paul sin, yes – but nothing from scripture indicates that he was walking in darkness. This is a big problem amongst Christians – we think we have to be perfect – when we can’t be – that’s why we need Jesus – our best efforts won’t be good enough, ever. Try as we might but we will sin – either by doing something or failing to do the good we could – which is also sin.

But gross sins – like sexual immorality and drunkenness – a couple of my favorites - those can be overcome – they can be repented of, and you can be set free from them, by the Lord’s power in your life.

So don’t get it twisted and look at verb tenses to excuse your failure to trust in the Lord to help you to repent. Instead walk in the power of a close personal relationship with God where your motivation to be cleansed from sin comes from the love that you have for the One who was sinless and gave up His life so you could live, not in the darkness of sin and shame, but in the light of life that is pure and peaceful.

So keep on walking and talking with God and follow the Lord into the progressive life of goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, peace, joy, love, and self-control that you will find from walking in the Spirit.

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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 verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Comfort.

Isaiah 40:10-11 (NLT2)
¹⁰ Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
¹¹ He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

Today’s verses fall under the 19th point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Comfort.

19. The Lord tends his flock like a shepherd.

Today’s verses encourage us that the Lord is coming in power and He will rule and reign like a shepherd who lovingly provides and cares for His flock.

These are messianic verses, pointing to Jesus’ millennial reign where he will rule forever and ever, Hallelujah!

God will punish evil, but He will carry those of us who put their faith in Jesus with love and will lead us in the way we should go. So until He picks us up, let’s follow the Good Shepherd’s voice that is heard in our spirit and written in the word of God.

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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 “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

MORNING READING: MATTHEW 9

“It was never seen like this.” – Matthew 9:33

What a difference the presence and power of the Lord Jesus makes! This chapter, in itself, contains a remarkable record of Christ's miraculous power:

• He cured one sick of the palsy.

• He cured the bloody issue.

• He raised Jairus' daughter.

• He gave sight to the two blind men.

• He cast the Devil out of the dumb man.

This amazing demonstration of power called forth, from the marveling multitudes, the very true statement and testimony: “It was never seen like this.” And yet, there is no limit to the power of the Lord Jesus. It is beyond man's finite comprehension. What He did in each of these five cases recorded here, He can do in the life of any man. In fact, to use the words of another, “It is yet to be seen what God can do with the man … wholly surrendered to Him.”

What joy the promise of my Savior:
“You will see greater things than these” (John 1:50).^{^[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 YouTube 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)

“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]} Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Low “Causeless” Depression and Praising God Always – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement - Purity 1211

Purity 1211 11/30/2023 Purity 1211 Podcast

Purity 1211 on YouTube:

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the silhouettes of trees on the edge of farmland on Waite Rd with the light of sunrise on the horizon comes to us from yours truly as I captured this haunting sunrise scene while out walking the dog this past Sunday morning.

Well, It’s Thursday and I share this pathway photo that is mostly “off road” as a visual encouragement to get on or to stay on the path of Christian discipleship and to remind us of all that no matter how dark things may get there is always hope when we have faith in Jesus, the light of the world.

Sometimes I wonder if it is really necessary to continue sharing the same messages that encourage people to know who they are in Christ and to make their lives an ongoing spiritual practice where their hearts and minds are directed towards the things of God and where they literally walk and talk with God in their daily lives. “Keep on Walking and Talking with God” isn’t just some quaint phrase of general encouragement, it's an exhortation to be taken quite literally. I know I say that quite often and the reason I do is because a deep personal relationship with God is what can help you to overcome the pains and difficulties that we face with life here on earth.

And I keep saying that because I see what happens when Christians don’t do it. They make foolish choices. They fall into sin. And sometimes, they just become incredibly depressed under the “unbearable lightness of being”.

Mentioning that phrase is not a recommendation of the movie or book with that title by the way. I don’t recall the story or plot but I’m pretty sure the people in it were not trying to be the people God created them to be by living as followers of Jesus Christ. That sentiment “the unbearable lightness of being” comes from an atheistic worldview that whimsically appreciates the beauty in the world amongst the tragedy, but subtly sells the lie that there is no ultimate meaning to life so you might as well live it up and give into whatever sensual desires you have, even if they are sin.

It’s a lie. But with the mundanity of life and the suffering in the world – it’s easy to get drawn into it. Laments like “Why do things have to be this way?” or “Why am I not happy?” or “Oh what’s the point.” Can subtly erode our peace and cause us to “just feel low” and make us experience what we may think of as “Causeless Depression” – where we just feel down - where nothing is wrong but where we are incredibly sad or “just low”.

The Christian Disciple’s remedy for depression is the affirmation and appreciation of who we are in Christ and the realization that God has a plan, and that life has meaning. If we are depressed we need to remind ourselves of God in our life and draw into His presence. Our thoughts impact our emotions, so we need to think about and talk to the Lord. We can take our depression to Him and come away with joy. However, we may have to do more than hope and pray and meditate on the truth. We may have to do something drastic and proclaim the truth in song. We need to praise the Lord despite the storm, the tragedy, or just that seemingly “unbearable lightness of being”.

Right after Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness – a pretty low time in which he had victory, why?, because he combatted the enemy with the truth of God’s word – hello? Anyway, after that, He was “filled with the Holy Spirit’s power” and went into the synagogue in Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61, which said:

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸ "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹ To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Jesus then said:

Luke 4:21 (NKJV)

²¹ Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

We don’t have to feel oppressed or depressed. We who have placed our faith in Jesus can experience the freedom (the liberty) Christ has given us, every day. And the scriptures that Jesus read from give us a clue of how we can experience it. After the “acceptable year of the Lord”

Isaiah 61:2-3 (NKJV) goes on to say

² …. And the day of vengeance of our God;

That refers to Christ second coming, where He will make everything right and exact vengeance on wicked…

But the text than says:

Isaiah 61:2-3 (NKJV)

….To comfort all who mourn,
³ To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

And so this text indicates that we can take off “the spirit of heaviness” with the garment of praise. To receive our beauty for ashes, and oil of joy for mourning – we are subtly directed to praise the Lord.

We are forgiven, free, and have eternal life in Christ. The big old bad world isn’t so bad in the light of that truth, but we have to resist the devil and fight the world by speaking the word of God and proclaiming it in song! Paul tells us to do this in

Ephesians 5:18-20 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

That’s how we live in the Spirit and take off the spirit of heaviness, We praise.

I was inspired to write this because I encountered a Christian who has been suffering from a “seemingly causes less depression” and they experienced some relief through praise. In their case, I commended their efforts, but they admitted to not being out of the woods yet and still felt “low”. So I recommended they go through the Steps to Freedom in Christ – to proclaim their faith and to confess and renounce any and everything in their life that may be giving the enemy a foothold in life. Although I gave them a copy of the Steps to Freedom in Christ months ago, they never prayed through them. So I recommended doing that and to continue meditating on who they are in Christ and to PRAISE THE LORD in song.

I was also encouraged that other Christians who are in the encouragement business agree with me and am sharing Mindful of Christ’s Word for Wednesday from this week, where Lauren Roskilly encourages us to “Always Praise God” Referencing:

Job 1:20 (ESV)
²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped

Lauren writes:

“Praise God Always

Job, is a man who went through all kinds of trouble and trials, he had his family, livelihood and much more taken away from him. He was, what some may deem, “at rock bottom!” Imagine if you went through everything Job did.

How would that make you feel?

Angry? Depressed? Grief? Sad? Lonely? Anxious? Hurt? Rejected?

And I wouldn’t blame you! Job felt most of these too, well, he is human as well!

BUT despite all of this and how he felt about his situation, he still knew the Lord; Job, fell to the ground and worshipped.

But remember, He wants us to worship Him at all times and through all things; the good and the bad. Life is full of ups and downs, so it’s helpful to remember that trials and problems are to be expected. We are on a sinful earth, after all! But, the one thing in this world that is consistent, good, perfect, and awesome is God, the Father, the Creator, and His Son, Jesus, our Savior and He is worthy to be praised.

So, next time you are feeling, what we might deem to be, negative emotions, or are going through particular trials, I challenge you to throw on the worship music & praise the Lord.

Here’s a playlist I prepared earlier ‘Mood Boosting Worship Songs.’ (https://mindfulofchrist.net/mood-boosting-worship-songs/) Enjoy!

Blessings

Lauren x”

Thank You Lauren! “Praising the Lord” is the proper response to negative emotions and negative circumstances, even with serious hardships like the one's Job experienced. When we place our focus on God and follow Him, praise will come spontaneously sometimes – but we may have to really put forth an effort to do it. So do it! Praise and worshipping the Lord is the appropriate response for knowing the LORD, so always remember that God is bigger than all the situations in the world or even “causeless depression” and when we draw close to Him, He will lift us up and give us beauty for ashes and joy where there was only pain.

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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 Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

Ezekiel 34:1-16 (ESV)
¹ The word of the LORD came to me:
² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
⁴ The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
⁵ So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts.
⁶ My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
⁷ “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
⁸ As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep,
⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
¹⁰ Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
¹¹ “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
¹⁴ I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
¹⁵ I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
¹⁶ I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Today’s verses fall under the fourteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

14. God condemns and warns unfaithful shepherds.

Today’s verses are a warning to false teachers and a reminder to us that God came to save the lost by sending the Good Shepherd in Jesus Christ.

This passage tells us that God sees everything and that He will repay those who don’t follow Him and abuse his sheep. It tells us of His great love to “leave the 99” to save the one lost sheep, that Jesus talked about in the gospels.

Some people wrongly think that God was different in the Old Testament than He was in the New Testament but passages like this really show that God has always been the same. He is holy, just, and loving and while He will condemn and warn the wicked, and will judge and punish them who die in their sins, He also calls all of us to repentance and seeks to save us because of His love for His sheep.

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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 are sharing from “God is in the Manger- Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ADVENT WEEK ONE - WAITING

DAY SEVEN

God’s Holy Present

Serve the opportune time.” The most profound matter will be revealed to us only when we consider that not only does the world have its time and its hours, but also that our own life has its time and its hour of God, and that behind these times of our lives traces of God become visible, that under our paths are the deepest shafts of eternity, and every step brings back a quiet echo from eternity. It is only a matter of understanding the deep, pure form of these times and representing them in our conduct of life. Then in the middle of our time we will also encounter God’s holy present. “My times are in your hand” (Ps. 31:15). Serve your times, God’s present in your life. God has sanctified your time. Every time, rightly understood, is immediate to God, and God wants us to be fully what we are.… Only those who stand with both feet on the earth, who are and remain totally children of earth, who undertake no hopeless attempts at flight to unreachable heights, who are content with what they have and hold on to it thankfully—only they have the full power of the humanity that serves the opportune time and thus eternity.… The Lord of the ages is God. The turning point of the ages is Christ. The right spirit of the ages is the Holy Spirit.

Dear parents … I don’t need to tell you how much I long for freedom and for you all. But over the decades you have provided for us such incomparably beautiful Christmases that my thankful remembrance of them is strong enough to light up one dark Christmas. Only such times can really reveal what it means to have a past and an inner heritage that is independent of chance and the changing of the times. The awareness of a spiritual tradition that reaches through the centuries gives one a certain feeling of security in the face of all transitory difficulties. I believe that those who know they possess such reserves of strength do not need to be ashamed even of softer feelings—which in my opinion are still among the better and nobler feelings of humankind—when remembrance of a good and rich past calls them forth. Such feelings will not overwhelm those who hold fast to the values that no one can take from them.

Letter to Bonhoeffer’s parents, written from

Tegel prison, December 17, 1943

For I hear the whispering of many—

terror all around!—

as they scheme together against me,

as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

My times are in your hand;

deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your steadfast love.

Psalm 31:13–16^{^[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 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

^{^[1]} Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, ed. Jana Riess, trans. O. C. Dean Jr., First edition. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 14–15.

Friday, September 1, 2023

This is My Fight Song - Purity 1136

Purity 1136 09/01/2023 Purity 1136 Podcast

Purity 1136 on YouTube:

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a view of Lake George from the vantage point of one of the cannons at Fort William Henry comes to us from yours truly as I captured this shot while walking through history and appreciating the struggle of those who have gone before us, just how primitive things were in days gone by, and how the victorious rise to challenge and fight for the freedom they want to experience.

Well, it’s Friday, September 1^st and just like that we have entered into the ninth month of 2023 and in three weeks we will all say goodbye to the summer. But while I love autumn, I was in no hurry to say adios to summer and had the stirring to “do something” with yesterday’s pleasant summer day off from work and I decided to go somewhere I had known about since childhood but had never actually gone to: Fort William Henry in Lake George.

My family vacationed at the Lake George RV Park in the 80’s and while spending time in Lake George we hit virtually all the attractions. As a fan of the macabre, Frankenstein’s Wax Museum was a personal favorite. Our family went to the miniature golf course at Gift World, Goony Golf, every year and we hit the fun parks – Storytown USA, aka the Great Escape/ Six Flags, Waterslide Word, and the Magic Forest at different times but although we may have walked outside of Fort William Henry to take a Steamboat cruise on the Minne Ha Ha, our family never went inside the fort.

So with yesterday off and the feeling that summer was slip sliding away, I got the urge to go to Lake George and to do something “touristy” and because I had never actually been to Fort William Henry I decided to check it out with my wife and my stepdaughter. I love going to museums and art galleries because of it points to another part of God’s overall story – History is His Story after all, and I am often humbled and amazed when I learn about how people lived in the past, how they lived, and by examining the art and artifacts they left behind that testify of their stories.

The story of Fort William Henry centers around the French Indian War and how the Imperialistic French and British Empires tried to claim the lands and the lucrative fur trade of North America and how their efforts divided and exploited the Indigenous People with often unexpected and tragic results. While the British ultimately “won” the French Indian War, they didn’t win every battle. In August 1757 the British controlled, Fort William Henry was surrounded and was surrendered after a 6 day siege to generous terms of surrender.

The French, however, failed to protect their prisoners. After the British marched out of the fort under a French armed guard and began their retreat down the Old Military Road to Fort Edward, they were attacked by the French’s Indian allies. The Indians brutally killed and scalped many of the British soldiers and then took hundreds of prisoners to Canada where they were held for ransom. Although early chroniclers claimed that as many as 1,500 British were killed, more recent analysis—based on period documents—places the number closer to 185.

Regardless of the number, that event is know the “Massacre” at Fort William Henry and the true story inspired James Fenimore Cooper’s highly fictionalized novel, The Last of the Mohicans to keep the events of 1757 alive in historical and literary circles (https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-massacre-at-fort-william-henry/#:~:text=After%20the%20surrender%20the%20French,40%20miles%20to%20the%20north.) .

I am greatly humbled when I realize these events happened in my own backyard of upstate NY and that I am just so ignorant of the history of this continent and our country. The massacre of Fort William Henry inspired colonists and the British to fight for victory which was sealed with the Treat of Paris of 1763. Ironically, the joining together of various colonial forces after the massacre Fort William Henry was later remembered by the colonist to inspire them to fight for their Independence from the British in 1776. Those colonists had learned they could win if they fought for victory and when they were given taxation without representation they decided they could use the lessons they had learned in the past to fight for and win their freedom for the future.

Similarly, I had learned the importance of “fighting for my freedom” over my addictions by leaning on the power, strength, and guidance of the Lord. With His help, I was set free but just like those colonists later learned that their days of fighting were meant to prepare them for a future battle, since leading the Celebrate Freedom (Recovery/Discipleship) Growth Group I was inspired to take the lesson I have learned from my past recovery and apply them to the fight against my food addiction.

This week I tried to encourage our group to trust in the Lord to help them, but I also made it clear that we were personally responsible for our walk and that if we wanted our freedom over our hurts, habits, and hang-ups, we were going to have to do our part. We were going to have to “fight for it”. And so after we sang Big Daddy Weave’s Redeemed to thank God for saving us and making us “not who I used to be”, I did something a little unorthodox by encouraging the group to “fight for their freedom” by singing along with Rachel Platten’s “ Fight Song” which declares:

“This is my fight song.

Take back my life song.

Prove I'm alright song.

My power's turned on.

Starting right now I'll be strong.

I'll play my fight song.

And I don't really care if nobody else believes.

'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me.” (https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rachelplatten/fightsong.html)

That song was a part of my soundtrack for overcoming and emerging from addiction and divorce. When I decided to follow Jesus, I lost some things, but I know that I gained the victory. I gained my freedom – so I don’t really care if nobody else believes – I know Jesus is Lord and I am going to lean on Him, offer all the fight I have in me, and follow Him into my freedom over food addiction and into the rest of the abundant life that He has for me.

I’m two weeks into the victory tour over food addiction. The official weigh in is 229 pounds this morning, down from 238.9 so I’m going to keep going and encourage you to keep walking and talking with God while He encourages you to fight for the life you always wanted to live but never thought was possible. With God all things are possible, but you should expect to do your part and fight for it.

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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 Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Isaiah 28:7-8 (NIV2011)
⁷ And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.

Today’s verses fall under the eighth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse. 8. Isaiah gives a vivid picture of a drunk losing his moral judgment.

Today’s verses are a continuation from yesterday’s passage in Isaiah that documented that the Lord judged the northern kingdom of Israel for their drunkenness resulting in their kingdom’s destruction by the Assyrians in 721 BC. Here Isaiah documents how the priests and prophets of the northern kingdom were shameless drunks proving that alcohol can even corrupt those with great spiritual knowledge and who should know better.

Whenever someone makes a compromise for their “little indulges or vices”, moral compromise should be expected.

One story I recall from my days lost to a false religion of eastern mysticism, told the tale of a vegetarian monk who was traveling and was taken in for the night by a woman who offered him a goat and herself. Because he had sworn off meat and sex, he politely refused her hospitality. But when she offered him wine, he accepted. The monk drank too much and in a drunken frenzy that fueled his flesh, he killed and ate the goat and had sex with the woman to awaked the next day filled with horror and shame.

So we be careful with alcohol. Drunkenness is a sin all by itself but when you give in and compromise with booze, your sin may take you further than you ever thought you would go as your intoxication will cause you to lose your moral judgement.

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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

22 - The Spirit Assuring

A Filial Spirit

As the Spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit bestows upon the quickened soul a filial spirit: He acts in unison with the Son and gives a sense of our relationship as sons. Emancipating from that bondage and fear which the application of the Law stirred up within us, He brings us into the joyous liberty which the reception of the Gospel bestows. O the blessedness of being delivered from the Covenant of Works! O the bliss of reading our sentence of pardon in the blood of Immanuel! It is by virtue of our having received the Spirit of adoption that we cry “Father! Father!” It is the cry of our own heart, the desire of our soul going out unto God. And yet our spirit does not originate it: without the immediate presence, operation, and grace of the Holy Spirit we neither would nor could know God as our “Father.” The Spirit is the Author of everything in us which goes out after God.

This filial spirit which the Christian has received is evidenced in various ways. First, by a holy reverence for God our Father, as the natural child should honor or reverence his human parent. Second, by confidence in God our Father, as the natural child trusts in and relies upon his earthly parent. Third, by love for our Father, as the natural child has an affectionate regard for his parent. Fourth, by subjection to God our Father, as the natural child obeys his parent. This filial spirit prompts him to approach God with spiritual freedom, so that he clings to Him with the confidence of a babe, and leans upon Him with the calm repose of a little one lying on its parent’s breast. It admits to the closest intimacy. Unto God as his “Father” the Christian should repair at all times, casting all his care upon Him, knowing that He cares for him (1 Pet. 5:7). It is to be manifested by an affectionate subjection (obedience) to Him “as dear children” (Eph. 5:1).

“The Spirit of adoption is the Spirit of God, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, and who is sent by Them to shed abroad the love of God in the heart, to give a real enjoyment of it, and to fill the soul with joy and peace in believing. He comes to testify of Christ; and by taking of the things which are His, and showing them to His people, He draws their heart to Him; and by opening unto them the freeness and fullness of Divine grace, and the exceeding great and precious promises which God has given unto His people, He leads them to know their interest in Christ; and helps them in His name, blood, and righteousness, to approach their heavenly Father with holy delight” (S. E. Pierce).

John Gill observes that the word “Abba” reads backwards the same as forwards, implying that God is the Father of His people in adversity as well as prosperity. The Christian’s is an inalienable relationship: God is as much his “Father” when He chastens as when He delights, as much so when He frowns as when He smiles. God will never disown His own children or disinherit them as heirs. When Christ taught His disciples to pray He bade them approach the mercy-seat and say, “Our Father which art in Heaven.” He Himself, in Gethsemane, cried, “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36)—expressive of His confidence in and dependence upon Him. To address God as “Father” encourages faith, confirms hope, warms the heart, and draws out its affections to Him who is Love itself^{^[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 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

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

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

^{^[1]} Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).

Labels

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Hey CHIEF, You Have BEEN Set Free! - Purity 1249

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Low “Causeless” Depression and Praising God Always – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement - Purity 1211

Friday, September 1, 2023

This is My Fight Song - Purity 1136