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Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2022

Ask, Seek, Knock… and Repeat – I Want to Know What Love Is– Purity 754

 

Ask, Seek, Knock… and Repeat – I Want to Know What Love Is– Purity 754

Purity 754 06/10/2022  Purity 754 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of Sunset over what I believe to be Anclote River Park in Holiday, Florida comes to us from a friend’s recent family vacation to the Sunshine State.  Although we won’t enjoy an extended weekend this weekend, we can still thank God it is Friday and may find comfort in this “last regular weekend” that we may know for months to come!

What are am I talking about?  Well, while I don’t look too far ahead as a rule, a glance at the calendar tells me the “times they are a changing”.  Next weekend is Father’s Day, so no matter what your situation is or how you feel about that Hallmark Holiday to recognize your dear old Dad, next weekend is not a normal weekend.  And the following week? School is out for the summer, kids, and with the end of the school year the season of Summer is undeniable and all the regularity that accompanies the school year is gone. While it is relief to some, it is a burden to others.  And even if your kids are out of school, or you don’t have kids. You are still affected by the school, because of the changes in traffic patterns as buses are off the road and you have to be aware of the fact that kids could be darting into traffic because they aren’t safely locked away in school.   

So hey, enjoy this last “regular weekend” because you really won’t see another one until after labor day! But that’s okay, as this will be my 50th summer, I am sure that we will settle into our summer routine pretty quickly as we are remarkably resilient at adapting to change even though we may not like it or feel we aren’t good at dealing with changes.  The truth is life is rolling with the punches and in my almost 50 years of life, I have discovered that we don’t have to grin and bear the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” alone.  

Last night, I met with the Men’s Freedom in Christ Discipleship group and we discussed the process of “Renewing the Mind”, where we recognize the lies we have believed and the worldly coping mechanisms we have developed in our lives before coming to Christ and how we can change the way we think, the way we live, and the way we feel by learning what God’s word says about who we are in Christ and how we can experience the peace, joy, love, goodness, faithfulness, kindness gentleness,  patience, and self-control, the fruit of the Spirit, that comes from a life dedicated to “walking in the Spirit”.  

Some of the advice the Christ gave His disciples is found in:

Matthew 7:7-14 (NKJV) where He said:
7  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

 

Here Jesus encourages his disciples to trust that God is good and that if they pursue a life of faith their “Father who is in heaven” will give them “good things”.  

Notice Jesus didn’t say, He will “give you everything you want”.  I would say that although the blessings we will receive in this life of faith will vary greatly between individuals, according to God’s purposes,  the “good things” things all of us can experience are those fruit of the Spirit.  Those “good things” indicate God cares about our character a lot more than giving us a bunch of stuff.       

I’m not saying the Lord won’t provide other good – material and experiential – things when you decide to follow Him but I would state that God is not necessarily out to make all Christians “rich”.  God wants us to “ask, seek, and knock” – He wants us to be rich in faith and have a rich relationship with Him. 

The way I look at that three fold encouragement to seek the Lord and the “good things” He has for us is like this: 

Ask – To ask is ” to say something in order to obtain an answer or some information.” Or to make a request, - to do something, to receive something, or to give something”  The verbal component in asking indicates a conversation and a relationship.  With God we are seeking information and help.  To ask, we have to talk with God. With Him we can speak out loud or converse silently in prayer.  Jesus is telling us to talk to God. 

Seek – To seek is to attempt to find something.  Seeking God is to seek the truth: the answers to the questions of life, death, purpose and meaning.  Jesus us telling us to take personal responsibility to get to know God and His will for our lives, to make our relationship with Him based on our love for Him that is demonstrated by our seeking to know Him and do what He would have us do. In seeking the Lord, we read His word, examine our experience, and try to apply His wisdom to our lives moment to moment.  

Knock – To knock, means to “strike a surface noisily to attract attention, especially when waiting to be let in through a door.”  So knocking is seeking to be let in. The implication is that Christ is encouraging for us to “want to be let in” to all that God has for us.  But knocking, points to action.  It is more that a “hoping and a praying” and it is more than “seeking”.  Knocking is acting. We take our hands and reach out and exert force to demonstrate that we want in! It’s putting our “best hand forward” in attempt to be let in to a life with God. “Knocking” is a step of faith where we say, I want it and I am going to “do something to get it”.  “Knocking” points to acts of faith.  And believe me, that is when you get “let in”, when you follow the Lord’s leading and “do something”, when you stretch yourself, step out of the box, and try something in faith and leave the results up to God.   It’s up to God to open the door, but we have to demonstrate that we are serious about getting let in by knocking, and some times we have to be persistent.  

I love the way the NLT puts Matthew 7:7.  It says:

Matthew 7:7 (NLT2)
7  “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

So Ask, Seek, Knock and Repeat and as we enter into the weekend, remember to enjoy this last “regular weekend” but let me encourage you to also attempt the make what is ordinary, extraordinary by showing the Lord that you “want in” to all that He has for you.  

The process of asking, seeking, and knocking is the process of trusting the Lord and pursuing the “good things” He has for you, but knowing that this process involves seeking His answers, accepting them, and shaping our lives to be in accordance to them rather than pounding on a door demanding that the Creator of the Universe give us “what I want!!”

So keep walking and talking with God, and you will discover that the good things He has for you were not the things that you expected but they are much better than anything than we would have thought to ask for.  

______________________________________________________________

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT2)
4  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

Today’s Bible verses on love are descriptive of how we would properly what love is:  

“I want to know what love is! I want you to show me!”   

You know, I cring when I think of the 80’s, but not for nothing, I looked at the lyrics to that Forigner song from 1984, and unlike most of the decade of decadences shallow and lame offerings,  it was pretty deep. 

‘I've gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I'm older

This mountain, I must climb
Feels like a world upon my shoulders
Through the clouds, I see love shine
Keeps me warm as life grows colder

In my life, there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life….”  

(https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TEmriC8yqiw2YPSSzlQoT8wrUSjJV8jOyy9XKM9ILFHIyS9LVcgsBgA_Iw7R&q=i+want+to+know+what+love+is&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS906US906&oq=i+want+to+know+&aqs=chrome.1.0i355i512j46i512j69i57j0i512j46i512l5j0i512.7207j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#wptab=s:H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgVuLVT9c3NExJq4gvMqosfsRowS3w8sc9YSn9SWtOXmPU5OIKzsgvd80rySypFJLmYoOyBKX4uVB18uxi0ktJTUsszSmJL0lMsspOttLPLS3OTNYvSk3OL0rJzEuPT84pLS5JLbLKqSzKTC5exKqTll-Umpmel1qkkKlQnphXolCSr5Cdl1-uUJ6RWKKQk1-WqpBZrABRDgDiwTgnrAAAAA)

And you know what He wants to know, that’s right what love is!

Homeboy needs Jesus. He’s needs to know the embodiment of love.  

John 3:16 (NLT2)
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.

That’s love, to save that which is lost because of love. 

And today’s verse gives us more truth on love.   Love is “patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” 

Hate to say it but obviously God is sharing these truths about love because we get it wrong.  When love become possessive and controlling, we will be irritable, keep ongoing records of the wrongs done, become jealous, and we lose our patience and be unkind.  

God is telling us that love is not supposed to be that way so in our “love relationships” we have to remember these truths on love and not be boastful, proud, or demand our own way and instead apply the truth of what God says love is. And who demonstrates what love is, and follow His example.  

You want to know what love is? Study these two verses from 1st Corinthians and try to live them.    

 

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 Begin  sharing from Clinton E. Arnold’s “Powers of Darkness”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Clinton Arnold’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

PART I

First-Century Belief in the Powers

Paul preached the gospel and planted churches among people who believed in the existence of evil spirits. This fact had an impact on how he preached the gospel and on what he taught those new Christians in his letters.

The belief in spirits crossed all religious, ethnic and geographical boundaries. The Jews, Greeks, Romans, Asians and Egyptians all believed in spirits who populated the heavens, the underworld and the earth. Many were thought to be good spirits, or gods, who were worthy of worship and could be trusted. Others caused people to tremble in fear because they were believed to be wicked and injurious. Everyone, however, agreed on one thing: The supernatural realm exercises control over everyday life and eternal destiny.

Our goal in this section will be to uncover the world view of the populace—the kind of people who were becoming Christians and to whom Paul ministered. What specifically did the average person believe about gods, spirits, demons and the like? This task is not easy. Most of the Greek and Roman literature that we have comes from the educated elite and, with the finest rhetorical craftsmanship, presents philosophical understandings of existence that are often quite removed from what common folk believed. Fortunately, some literature gives us a glimpse into the folk belief. Scholars are increasingly recognizing the value of papyri, inscriptions and archeological evidence for piecing together a picture of folk belief. We will begin by taking a look at an aspect of first-century life that many scholars believe gives us the greatest insight into the beliefs of the populace about the spirit realm—magic.

1

Magic and Divination

One of the clearest windows for seeing what ordinary people believed about supernatural powers in the New Testament era is the realm of magic and divination. Magical beliefs and practices were a part of all religious traditions (and even came to have a share in Christianity!).

In Western culture we have come to think of magic as harmless trickery in the context of entertainment. When we speak of magic during the period of the New Testament, however, we must realize it was not the art of illusion. Magic represented a method of manipulating good and evil spirits to lend help or bring harm. Magical formulas could be used for such things as attracting a lover or winning a chariot race. Black magic, or sorcery, involved summoning spirits to accomplish all kinds of evil deeds. Curses could be placed, competitors subdued, and enemies restrained.

These practices were widespread and reflect the common views, or “folk belief,” of the age. Magic was not something separate from organized religion. It was an important part of the official religions, though in many cases, not a sanctioned part. For example, the cult of Artemis did not have an official magician attached to the cult. Nevertheless, this goddess was invoked in magical formulas, the ornamentation on her cultic statue was interpreted magically, and magical words were even inscribed on her image. Many of the people who worshiped Artemis also practiced magic.

Scholars have learned much about Hellenistic magic in recent years. Virtually hundreds of papyrus texts have been discovered over the past century in addition to numerous magical amulets, lead curse tablets (defixiones) and a variety of other magical sources. Arthur Darby Nock, the famous classics scholar, strongly underscored the value of these sources for providing insight into the folk belief of the time. He advised his fellow scholars that “we may and must make use of the magical papyri in our attempt to reconstruct the religious attitude of the mass of mankind in the Roman world.”

While virtually all of the magical papyri that have been discovered were found in Egypt, this does not imply that people practiced magic only in Egypt. The climate and conditions of Egypt were well suited to the preservation of papyrus materials. In fact, our papyrus fragments of the Greek New Testament were found in Egypt. Although the country was indeed famous in antiquity for being a hotbed for prolific magical activities, there is plenty of evidence that magic was practiced throughout the Mediterranean world.

Many accounts about magical practices exist in the literature of the first century. Even in our own New Testament, Luke tells us about magical activity in Palestine, Cyprus, Asia and Northern Greece, which we will discuss later. In addition, the thousands of magical amulets, gems and defixiones (lead curse tablets) uncovered by archeologists were discovered in all of the Mediterranean lands. Whereas most of the papyrus texts date from the second century A.D., the texts recorded on the more durable materials (stone, metals, etc.) date throughout the Hellenistic period (beginning c. 330 B.C.). All these texts are basically of the same character and encompass much of the same vocabulary. They are also based on the same assumptions regarding the spirit world—people and situations can be influenced by invoking the help of supernatural, powerful spirit-beings.

The supernatural nature of magic may be seen clearly by looking at the content of a few magical recipes. We will take a close look at three magical recipes that provide a good overview of the nature of magic and its close connection to the realm of spirits and demons, principalities and powers. A typical magical formula consisted of three parts:

1.    Instructions for a magical rite.

2.    A list of the proper names to invoke.

3.    A statement of the command.[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/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

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 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)


Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Powers of Darkness: Principalities & Powers in Paul’s Letters (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 1992), 19–22.


Sunday, May 29, 2022

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - Love - 05/29/2022


 Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 05/29/2022

Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Love Podcast

Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube: Love Podcast Zoom Video on YouTube!



Love

“And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  I Cor. 13:13

Our Trinitarian God exalts His own character by giving us equations of threes. Three is an interesting number because it requires three legs, or points of contact to form a firm footing.

Three elements of a love relationship, I believe, are choice, sacrifice and trust; and they are always reciprocal.

If you consider our relationship with Christ:

         Choice: “Even before He made the world, God loved us and                     chose us…” Eph 1:4

                       But we also made a choice also, “whoever calls on                     the name of he Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13

         Sacrifice: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for                         us.” I Co. 5:7 and “who for the joy that was set                         before Him endured the cross.” Heb. 12:2

                          But we are called to, “present your bodies a living                     sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,” Rom 12:1

                          And to bring a, “sacrifice of praise into the house                      of the LORD.” Jer. 33:11

         Trust: We are called to, “Trust in the LORD with all your                  heart, And lean not on your own understanding.” Pro. 3:5

                    “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though                    God were pleading through us” II Cor. 5:20

But there is a problem with love, a purpose for love and a presence of love.  

The problem with love is that it can be easily faked or sentimentalized.

         I Jn. 4:20 says, “if someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates is brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”

James is more particular when he says, “With (the tongue) we bless our God and father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Ja. 3:9

Finally, Paul says, “though I bestow all my foods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love...I Cor. 13:3

From this we see that we can be double minded with our love and down right deceitful by demonstrating a form of love without truth.

The purpose of love is that we would be like God. I Jn. 4:8, “God is love.” I Jn. 3:2 goes on to say, “but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” And finally, I Jn. 4:16 says, “we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

Dr. Michael Heiser is fond of saying, “God want’s a family” Any good father want’s his kids to be like him particularly in their noblest attributes.

The presence of love brings us back to the word “abide”.

We see it all over these verses in I Jn. The dynamic of abiding speaks of a presence in the present tense; hear and now. “And now abide faith, hope, and love…” I Cor. 13:13

We can’t give out of an empty bank account. I Jn. 2:5,6, “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

-----Join us for another Bible Study Next Week -------

or

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/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

 

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 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)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


Friday, March 4, 2022

Seeing the Love and Wisdom of God in Our Experience – Purity 670


 Seeing the Love and Wisdom of God in Our Experience – Purity 670

Purity 670 03/04/2022  Purity 670 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a simply magical sunset at Hallet Cove Beach in South Adelaide, Australia comes to us from Dave Baun Photography as Dave shared this wonder a day ago with the insight that “There isn’t much that compares to that feeling when you just stop and take in a good sunset, Even better when it’s an awesome sunset! This one was epic and very close to home too – beat that!”  

Dave is a transplanted American who was led to find the love of his life on the other side of the world in Australia. His work in photography and his personal story is an endearing and enduring testimony of the goodness of God.   His wife Liisa Grace shared their story with me last year and if you want to read it for yourself and to see the video of Dave’s proposal and their wedding I am sharing the link to the post from last year that tells it all on today’s blog entry (https://www.mt4christ.org/2021/04/this-is-testimony-of-my-australian.html). 

I’m sharing it all today because it is Friday and I am extremely thankful for all that God has done in my life and because I am in the midst of living out my own providential love story as I truly believe that God brought TammyLyn and I together and we are being reunited again this evening.  

Romantic stories and epic sunsets aside, no matter what your current relationship status is I want to remind you of the greatest love of all, the love that God has for us that was demonstrated by Christ coming to earth and paying for our sins so we could be reconciled to and have peace with God. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the love story that just keep on going as those who believe and choose to follow the Lord discover that God is with them wherever they go and that He invites them to experience the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.  

Last night, I heard more testimony about the love of God as the participants of the Freedom in Christ course I facilitate spoke about how the Lord was moving in their lives as they have made the decision to learn more about their relationship with God and to apply the lessons they are learning to their experience. 

One man, who had taken the course independently a year ago, marveled over how he stepped out in faith and led a men’s Bible study at his local church this week and how the man he was before going through the course wouldn’t have even been at a Bible study, let alone leading one.

The regular leader of the group was out of town this week and my friend boldly filled in their stead and used one of the resources from the Freedom in Christ course in his teaching to encourage the other men to have a true Biblical view of who God is.  

Often Christians can have a distorted view of their heavenly Father because of how their earthly fathers treated them. The “My Father God” list from the Freedom in Christ Course is a series of renunciations of the lies that are believed about God and the accompanying proclamations of who God really is based on the truth of God’s word. For example, the first couplet says:


I renounce the lie that you, Father God, are distant and uninterested in me.

I choose to believe the truth that You, Father God, are always personally present with me, have plans to give me a hope and a future, and have prepared works in advance specifically for me to do.

One of the men in the Bible study had apparently had a negative view of God, stating that he felt that sometimes “God had given him a snake, when he had asked for a fish”.  

So with this man in mind, my friend handed out copies of the “My Father God” list to all the men at the Bible study and had each man read one of the couplets out loud until the list was completed.

My friend reported that He could see the Holy Spirit at work in the process, as many of the men seemed visibly affected as they felt the power of the truth of who their heavenly Father is being proclaimed.  Our friend reported feeling great joy at the results and stands in awe of what the Lord has done in his life and what He did at the Bible study this week.   

If anyone would like that “My Father God” list, I am sharing a link to a blog post I shared that contains it (https://www.mt4christ.org/2021/10/freedom-in-christ-lesson-7-handling.html).  We invite you to review it or to share it to help yourself or others draw closer to your heavenly Father.

 Another man in the Freedom in Christ course, shared how this week’s lesson on forgiveness hit close to home and how he too got to apply what he had learned in the course to his experience.  

This man shared how he and a family member had been separated in their relationship because of their personal differences of opinion regarding the Covid-19 vaccine. One party was vaccinated, and the other wasn’t. The vaccinated party refused to let the unvaccinated party visit them or their family.

This disagreement kept them divided and as time progressed the relationship was becoming defined by bitterness as neither wanted to budge. The division even permeated to other family members who weighed in with their opinions about how the two parties had been divided!  

But by the grace of God, my friend, who still believes in his stance on vaccinations, was motivated by the lesson on forgiveness to seek it and to reconcile their relationship. Both parties agreed to meet and they both offered their apologies and proclaimed their desires to re-establish the relationship that this rift has caused.  Both parties still hold their respective opinions, but they have made the decision to forgive and to move forward cautiously to mend the many broken fences and hurt feelings that this episode has caused. 

I could see that my friend is still dealing with the fall out from what has happened and encouraged him to keep going to where God would lead Him in love and I offered my prayers for a complete resolution to the problems that still exist in the various relationships that were affected by this problem.   

As I teach and encourage people in pursuing their freedom in Christ, I remind them often that our walk of faith is not about perfection its about progress. Perfect resolutions and instant fixes can happen but often the peace that the Lord has for us is experienced more often after a process of growth and maturity.  

But I know the benefits that come from exchanging our worldly ways of pride for the humble ways of a Christian disciple that are instructed by the word of God. And I know that when we take a step towards God, He takes two steps toward us with open arms and if we keep walking and taking with God, we will discover that wonders of His loving embrace as we realize that we are finally with Him and that He has always been with us.

So as we walk into this last day of the work week thank God it is Friday and draw closer to the things He has for you by making the decision to walk with Him, every day.  


This morning’s meditation verses are :

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT2)
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!

Today’s Bible verses define the fruit of the Spirit that can grow and flourish in our lives when we decide to walk in the Spirit.  

As my testimony of the two men in the Freedom in Christ course shows us, when we decide to apply the wisdom of God’s word to our lives it can have dramatic results.   

Our first friend got to experience goodness and joy as He was faithful to share the truth about our Father God at his men’s Bible Study.  

Our second friend got to experience a measure of peace, and probably an increase in patience, as he gently reached out to reestablish a relationship that was divided by the bitterness of unforgiveness.

“Walking in the Spirit” is the process of living according to God’s ways.  It is a process where we challenge the way we think and behave as the world has taught us “that it’s a jungle out there” and that there are “ways that seem right to a man” but the word of God reveals that the ways of the world are in opposition to Lord and lead to death.   

Rome wasn’t built in a day and the process of adapting our minds and behaviors to follow the wisdom in the book of Romans, and the other 65 books of the Bible, takes some time.  In order to truly walk in the Spirit, we have to open our hearts to develop our emotions and our love for God as well as renew our minds and change our behaviors.

But when we make the counterintuitive choice to actually believe and practice what the word of God teaches us, we discover that these fruit of the Spirit will grow in our lives.  

I recently came across a teaching that clarified that the “fruit” that we are to produce in our lives isn’t just the good works that we will perform. As Christians we are supposed to be confirmed to the image of Christ and that indicates that our character is to be transformed.   The fruit we need to produce is a character that reflects the fruit of the Spirit. The process is know as sanctification and when we are in Christ, we are in that process.  

So keep walking in the Spirit. Challenge and reject the ways of the world and instead choose to follow the Lord and see how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control will naturally grow 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 June Hunt’s Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s  books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $5.00.

E. Recovery Step #3: Get on the Road to Interdependent Relationships

We all love to see pictures of babies and then to see their stairstep growth into young adulthood. Built within little, immature children is the ability to grow to maturity. Why should it be any less for immature adults? They too can move from their immaturity and develop mature relationships.

Once we understand the goal of each developmental stage for reestablishing healthy relationships, we can set out to accomplish those goals—without the aid of earthly parents. Many have done this by "taking the hand" of the heavenly Father and allowing Him to "re-parent" them. You too can do this by having a plan and then working your plan with the caring support of others. It is an enormously important journey with enormously gratifying rewards. This is the journey God intended for you to take from the beginning.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

  • Make it your goal to develop an intimate relationship with God and to form interdependent relationships with significant people in your life.
    • —Commit to becoming actively involved in a group Bible study and in group prayer.
    • —Commit to reading God's Word on a daily basis and memorizing Scripture.
    • —Commit to finding an accountability group and a Christian "relationship mentor" who will be available to you, spend time with you on a regular basis, be honest with you, and coach you in your relationships.

"Let us not give up meeting together... but let us encourage one another." (Hebrews 10:25)

  • Make a plan to move toward maturity in your relationships.
    • —Ask God to help you discern where you are stuck in the relationship developmental stages.
    • —Ask your mentor or another wise person to help you identity your relationship needs (for example, sharing, problem-solving, listening, negotiating).
    • —Ask your accountability group to hold you accountable to establish appropriate goals in order to meet each of your relationship needs.

"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4)

  • Make your relationship with your parents complete.
    • —Choose to resolve any unhealthy patterns with your parents. Break any unhealthy bond and, if possible, establish mature, adult bonds with each parent.
    • —Choose to not be emotionally enmeshed, needy, or controlled by your parents. If necessary, separate yourself emotionally until you can respond in a healthy way with "no strings attached."
    • —Choose to identify and process your "family of origin" problems, forgive your offenders, and grieve your losses. Say, "That was then; this is now."

"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:19)

  • Make a vow to be a person of integrity in thought, word, and deed.
    • —Learn to free yourself of any family secrets—refuse to carry them any longer.
    • —Learn to listen, to say no, to set boundaries, to give and receive, and to ask for what you need from people.... Then practice, practice, practice these new, healthy patterns.
    • —Learn to feel your feelings, to express hurt, and to withdraw and think about what you need to do or say. Write out your action plan; rehearse it; then do it.

"Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." (1 Peter 1:13-15)

  • Make a new job description.
    • —My job is to discern the character of a person and to respond accordingly with maturity.
    • —My job is to be a safe person for my friends and family and to be present and attentive in my relationships.
    • —My job is to take care of myself and to be responsible for myself without hurting, punishing, attacking, getting even, or lying to myself or to others.

"I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live." (Job 27:6)

  • Make a new commitment to yourself.
    • —I will let go of the "old," self-centered me because I am growing into a "new," Christ-centered me.
    • —I will exchange the lies I've believed about myself for God's truth about me according to His Word.
    • —I will no longer betray myself by making immature choices, and I will redeem my past, bad choices by making good, mature choices.

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

  • Make maturity, not emotional relationships, your highest goal.
    • —Focus on forming friendships in which you are free to learn, grow, and mature, not emotional attachments that lead to roller-coaster relationships.
    • —Focus on any potential relationships that might trigger your codependent tendencies and guard your heart from the emotional highs and lows.
    • —Focus on building relationships with trustworthy, mature Christians whose goal is Christlikeness.
    • —During a severe time of trial, David's dear friend, Jonathan...

"... helped him find strength in God" (1 Samuel 23:16)


Biblical Counseling Keys: Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.

---------------------------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/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

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 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)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

It’s Follow the Leader, Not Let’s Make a Deal – Leaning into Lent – Purity 668


It’s Follow the Leader, Not Let’s Make a Deal – Leaning into Lent – Purity 668

Purity 668 03/01/2022   Puirty 668 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the majestic mountains near the Lake Louise Ski Resort near Banff in Alberta Canada comes to us from a friend’s recent family skiing vacation showing us that there are indeed blue skies and beauty to behold even in season of winter and in the greater white north country of Canada.

It’s Wednesday and I figured this was a good photo to share for its beauty and to represent “hump day” as we will ascend and overcome the mountain of mid-week by days end.

When I saw that my friend, who lives in Long Island, was sharing photos from a skiing vacation, I assumed that Lake Louise and Banff were somewhere relatively local in the States but my google map search revealed that my friend’s love of skiing took them way out west, as well as north, to another country, proving just how far we will go for the things we love.  

It's not only Wednesday  today, but also Ash Wednesday which should remind us of our Christian faith and the lengths that Christ went to express God’s love for us, as He came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died to pay for our sins and to reconcile us to God.  

I continually encourage others to be reconciled to the Lord by placing their faith in Jesus Christ because I know that it is through our relationship with God that we can experience true peace and can discover the meaning and purpose for our lives.  

Unfortunately, many gospel messages stress salvation and life after death in heaven above the relational aspects of our faith which results in a fundamental lack of understanding of what this thing called Christianity is all about. 

Getting a “ticket to heaven, the guarantee of eternal life through faith in Christ, is not the end of our relationship with God, it’s the beginning.  

When preachers push the primacy of “salvation at all costs”, they do a disservice to the very people they wish to usher into God’s kingdom and their short sighted messages could lead to “false converts” or to disillusioned and confused Christians who have a shaky assurance of their salvation but no idea of what to do next.   

Putting our faith in Jesus can be seen as a box to check off as the minimum requirement for eternal life and our faith can be reduced to a transaction rather than a relationship.

 “Okay, I put my faith in Jesus, you forgive me of my sins, and you let me into heaven when I die. Deal? Deal. Awesome. Thanks, I’ll see you in church, occasionally. Now back to doing me, but with my trusty ticket to heaven, thank you Jesus.”     

Okay that is not exactly how I thought when I first came to Christ, but it was pretty close. I saw faith as a relationship but as a transactional relationship.   Christ gives us eternal life and forgiveness of sins and we “have to do” the X,Y’s and Zs of the Christian faith like: 

·       Go to church

·       Stand up, sit down, kneel and follow the instructions and say the “expected things in church”  

·       Pray, or at least kneel and look like you are praying, or say you will pray for someone

·       Read the Bible (Am I expected to read all this?) 

·       Be Nice – at least try to be nice, smile and shake hands where appropriate

·       Do good deeds - Serve in the church or do good works – whoa we are on our way to sainthood for sure

·       Give Cash – Donate to charity, give to the church, or Tithe, “Oh that’s when you know you are serious, oh boy”. 

From a cursory examination of “church culture”,  that may seem that is all there is to the Christian life, and we just have to “do this stuff” to be a Christian.   However, as my snarky commentary for that checklist of Christian duties should have indicated, there is something missing here.

The thing that is wrong with this view of our Christian faith is the love of God. You can do all of the above and have your heart as cold and as hard as it was before you “said the words” “or prayed the prayer” that “sealed the deal” of your putting your faith in Jesus.  

Unfortunately, our exposure to the way of the world has taught us that transactions are the things that make the word go round.  We do x and we get y. And that spirit of materialism can be seen in our relationships with one another. Quid pro quo – you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours – or “happy wife, happy life” – shots fired! -  can easily be viewed as the Status quo of our relationships with one another.  So when we begin our relationship with God it can “become let’s make a deal” rather than “follow the leader”.   

Now don’t get it twisted, we are to the follow the Lord, but we are not to do so as someone who is “just following orders” -  That dynamic is just another expression of quid pro quo but with a military bent, don’t get me started with “onward Christian soldiers” – Jesus isn’t a drill sergeant.  

Our relationship with God is not supposed to be based on the benefits, although we are greatly benefited from our relationship with Him.

Our relationship with God is supposed to be a love relationship.  John 3:16 which leads many to accept Christ says that it because of God’s love that He gave His only begotten Son so that we could live.  

He offers us eternal life a relationship with Him out of love.  We are to not look at our love relationships with a transactional view. We are to enjoy the love and let that motivate us to grow in our relationship with our loved One.  

If we are just going through the motions of our faith because “that’s the deal”, it’s no wonder that we are failing to experience the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  

Our love relationship with the Lord should cause us to want to know Him more and seek to please Him out of our love for Him not out of some perceived obligation.  

So as we take a step into the season lent today, I encourage you to examine your faith and the “things you do for God” and the reasons why you do them.  

Why do you do them?  Do you have joy and peace in your relationship with God? Are you trying to “put forth a good image as a Christian” or are you acting out of a heart’s desire to be conformed to the image of Christ where your love for the Lord causes you to want to be like Him?

Our faith isn’t a list requirements and duties to perform.  Our faith is supposed to be a dynamic interaction with God that draws us to change the status quo of our lives as we seek to understand His ways and apply them to our lives.   

The heart has to lead us to follow the Lord otherwise we are just marching to a drummer we would rather not listen to.

Just like my friend was willing to go to “O Canada” because of his love for skiing, there is no lengths we wouldn’t go through to be with the one we love.  

So keep walking and talking with God, and remind yourself of the love that poured out for you to be reconciled to Him and respond in love to seek the Lord and experience the joy and peace that comes from being in a love relationship with Him that encompasses all the aspects of your life and would cause you to go the great lengths to become closer to Him.   


Today’s Bible verse come to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is :

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT2)
5  Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Today’s Bible verse encourages us to be content with what we have and to understand that God is with us regardless of our circumstances.   

Okay, for whatever reason the NLT Bible Promise Book for Men, left off the “Don’t love money” portion of today’s verse but I included it to be thorough and to include that advice that is so counterintuitive to the world system.  

The love of money is understandable. Money provides comfort and a sense of security. The idea is that the more money we have the more easily it will be to “be satisfied” but the truth is that even the richest people can lack a sense of satisfaction as the love of money generally causes a preoccupation of it that results in the pursuit of more of it. 

So don’t love money. Follow the wisdom in today’s verse and be satisfied with what you have. 

The Freedom in Christ course that I facilitate for Freedom in Christ ministries boldly teaches that “happiness comes from wanting what we have” meaning that happiness isn’t about having what you want, it’s about wanting what you have because as long as we are focused on what we don’t have  or what we can’t do we will be unhappy.  But when we appreciate what we already have, we will be happy all of our lives.    

Of course the thing that will give us great peace and joy is knowing that the One who makes all things and controls all things approves of you.  When we put our faith in Jesus, God approves of us and will never abandon us.    

Our peace with the Lord tells us that “it is well with our souls” so rest in the peace of the Lord and appreciate what you have and be satisfied with where the Lord has you in life. When you know you are accepted, significant, and secure as a member of God’s royal family, you should be satisfied and be assured that God will never fail you.    

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 June Hunt’s Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s  books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $5.00.

C. Recovery Step #1: Confront Your Own Codependency

Codependency does not flow from an unchangeable personality flaw or some genetic fluke. A codependent relationship is rooted in immaturity, a fact that should give great hope to those caught in its addictive cycle. While change is never easy, growing up is always within the grasp of anyone who desires to move from immaturity to maturity.

Any of us can move from codependency to a healthy, mutual give-and-take in our relationships. The key to change is motivation. What kind of motivation? When your pain in the relationship is greater than your fear of abandonment, the motivation for change is powerful. Moving away from the pain of codependency then becomes a matter of choice and commitment. If you feel that the relationship you are in is more a curse than a blessing—when it brings more death to your soul than life—this is motivation for change.

"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you... may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

  • Confront the Fact That You Are Codependent.
    • Admit the truth to yourself. Before you can be free from the grasp of codependency, you must be honest with yourself about your emotional addiction to another person.
    • Admit the truth to someone else. Identify the beliefs and behaviors that have perpetuated your emotional addiction and share them with an objective, trusted friend.
    • Admit the truth to God. Realize that your emotional addiction is a serious sin in the eyes of God. Choose now to confess it to Him.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)

  • Confront the Consequences of Your Codependency.
    • Accept responsibility for how your past experiences and reactions have hurt your adult relationships (such as your becoming manipulative, controlling, possessive, or angry).
    • Accept responsibility for the pain you have caused yourself because of your codependency (such as your becoming jealous, envious, selfish, or obsessive).
    • Accept responsibility for the ways in which your codependency has weakened your relationship with God (such as a loss of quantity time, quality time, and intimacy with the Lord).

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)

  • Confront Your Painful Emotions.
    • Understand that you will have pain no matter what you choose. If you leave the codependent relationship, you will hurt, but if you stay, you will hurt. However, the only hope for future healing is leaving the codependent lifestyle.
    • Understand that when the intensity of the relationship diminishes you will experience emotional "withdrawal" from the exhilarating highs.
    • Understand that you will need the support of others to get you through the initial pain of withdrawal and to help you avoid anesthetizing your pain with a "secondary addiction."

"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel." (Proverbs 27:9)

  • Confront Your "Secondary Addictions."
    • Recognize that, in an effort to numb the emotional pain of the relationship, codependency often leads to other addictions, such as a chemical dependency, sexual addiction, compulsive eating, or excessive spending.
    • Recognize your "secondary addictions"; then seek counseling and spiritual support to overcome them.
    • Recognize that recovery from a "secondary addiction" is dependent on recovery from your primary addiction.

"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out." (Proverbs 18:15)

  • Confront Your Current Codependent Relationship.
    • Acknowledge your codependent role in the relationship and cease relating through codependent patterns.
    • Acknowledge your destructive behaviors. (Write them down.) Then replace them with constructive behaviors. (Write them down.)
    • Acknowledge the natural pain of emotional withdrawal (common to the healing of addictions) and focus on God's supernatural purpose (conforming you to the character of Christ).

"Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son." (Romans 8:29)

  • Confront Your Codependent Focus.
    • Stop focusing on what the other person is doing and start focusing on what you need to do in order to become emotionally healthy.
    • Stop focusing on the other person's problems and start focusing on solving your own problems (those resulting from your neglect of people and projects in your life).
    • Stop focusing on trying to change the other person and start focusing on changing yourself.

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." (Proverbs 14:8)

  • Confront Your Codependent Conflicts.
    • Do not allow yourself to become trapped in heated arguments or to become emotionally hooked by the bad behavior of the other person. Instead, say to yourself several times, I will not argue—and then disengage from the conflict. Decide ahead of time that, when agitation begins, you will distance yourself.
    • Do not defend yourself when you are unjustly blamed.... Instead, say only once, "I'm sorry you feel that way.... That doesn't reflect my heart."
    • Do not be afraid to leave if the conflict continues. State, "I will be gone for a while." Then calmly walk away.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." (2 Timothy 2:23)

  • Confront Your Codependent Responses.
    • Remind yourself 'that "problem people" have the right to choose wrong. Don't react to their problem behavior—they are independent of you.
    • Remind yourself not to return insult for insult—refuse to raise your voice.
    • Remind yourself that your Christlike role is to respond with respect—even when others are disrespectful.

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.... But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:9, 15-16)

  • Confront What You Need to Leave in Order to Receive.
    • Leave your childhood and your dependent thinking. (I can't live without you.) Then enter into healthy adulthood. (I want you in my life, but if something were to happen, I could still live without you.) That is reality.
    • Leave your immature need to be dependent on someone else and embrace your mature need to be dependent on the Lord, who will make you whole within yourself.
    • Leave your fantasy relationships (thinking, You are my "all-in-all") and instead nurture several balanced relationships of healthy give-and-take.

"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." (Proverbs 27:6)

  • Confront Your Need to Build Mature Non-codependent Relationships.
    • Establish several interdependent relationships—not just one exclusive relationship. You need mature relationships in which your codependency issues can be resolved and your needs can be met in healthy ways.
    • Establish emotionally balanced relationships without being needy of the extreme highs and lows of codependent relationships.
    • Establish personal boundaries in all of your relationships, saying no when you need to say no and holding to your no.

"Let us... go on to maturity." (Hebrews 6:1)


Biblical Counseling Keys: Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.

---------------------------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/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

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 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)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship