Purity 429 05/27/2021 Purity 429 Podcast
Good morning.
It’s Thursday and as is
my habit I usually share photo’s that show a pathway to encourage people to
attend my discipleship class tonight as I seek to instruct other’s in how to
apply their Christian faith to their lives in hopes that they will experience
their Freedom in Christ and overcome whatever circumstances they are facing to
experience a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit.
I, myself was stuck in a
dark forest for most of my life and I consider it my purpose in life to
encourage others to discover the power of their Christian faith by developing
their relationship with God.
While I have experienced
great victories in my Christian walk, I didn’t do it by myself. God, of course,
was with me every step of the way but through the years there have been several
brothers and sisters in Christ that have encouraged and inspired me along the
path.
While we are all on our
own walk of faith, we were never intended to walk out the Christian life
alone. The weekly worship service is
the most obvious place to gather together, but I believe that small groups
where Christians can learn about the application of our faith and openly discuss
their lives with one another is another way that the Lord intended for us to
grow, as the example of the Apostles and the early church shows us how
Christians did life together.
While I am not suggesting
we pool our resources and live in a commune, I am suggesting that Christians
can meet periodically to encourage and support one another in ways that are
more personal that the weekly worship service.
One criticism of the
church that is made from time to time is that church isn’t “real”, that
everyone is putting on a show. Well, if
you want to get real, I invite you to step on the path of Christian
discipleship tonight. You can join me at
Rock Solid Church in person at 6:30 pm or you can follow the class remotely by
contacting me at mt4christ247@gmail.com.
Tonight we start our “Bondage
Breaker” study, based on Dr. Neil Anderson’s The Bondage Breaker where we will
be teaching on the reality of spiritual warfare. But I must give a word of warning: the enemy
doesn’t want you to take this class. He
will do everything to fill your mind with excuses for not checking it out. Some
of the enemy’s lies will appear as first-person thoughts like: “I don’t need
this.”
Before you determine
that our class isn’t for you, I would ask you to examine your experience by
asking these questions:
Do I have a constant
negative outlook on life?
Do I lack peace in my
life?
Do I have periodic or
constant anxiety?
Do I have low self-esteem?
Am I angry?
Am I depressed?
Is my relationship with
God less than it should be?
Do I struggle to
concentrate when I try to pray or read the Bible?
Do I have trouble
sleeping or have nightmares?
Do voices or thoughts
influence me to not go to church or pursue my faith?
If you answered “Yes” to
any one of these questions, I would say that indicates that you could benefit
from the material that we teach and that you could benefit from the community of
support and encouragement that our class provides.
However, just like Jesus
asked the man at the pool of Bethesda, I have one more question for you to answer: Do you want to be healed? (John 5:6)
If the answer to that question
is “Yes”, I would offer you Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see” (John 1:39) what
the Lord can do in your life when you decide to “be real” and walk with Him.
But whether you take our
invitation to our class or not, I would encourage you to keep walking and
talking with God because even if you are in the thick of it, where you can’t
see the forest for the trees, if you listen to His voice and follow where He
leads, He will take you to the light at the end of the tunnel.
This morning’s meditation
verse is:
2 Timothy
3:16 (NKJV)
16 All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Today’s verse speaks
the truth that the Bible is God breathed.
The word of God is unlike any other book. It is the all-time best seller
by leaps and bounds and has been translated in over 2,500 languages. Its accuracy
has been proved by archaeology and through it fulfilled prophecies. The mathematical
odds of one person fulfilling all the prophesies that Jesus did are
astronomical. The word of God is true
and the one narrative of the Bible is that God’s redemptive plan worked
throughout history and culminated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. It also tells us of the future
and how Christ will return to fulfill God’s plans for the universe.
So it is totally rational and reasonable for us to believe that the Bible really is God’s message to the people He created. In fact, I plan on teaching an entire lesson on this theme this fall in our ministry’s upcoming “Freedom in Christ” course.
Not only does this verse assure us of that the scriptures are divinely inspired it also tells us why we should read and study it.
The Bible “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” The Bible teaches us the right way to live our lives and will convict us to changes the things in our lives that don’t align with its wisdom.
I can attest that studying and following the word of God is profitable because it has transformed my life. God loves us and the Bible is His love letter to us that invites us to follow Him into all He has made us to be.
I invite all to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today, in continuing recognition of mental health awareness month, we continue
to share from Dr. June Hunt’s “Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless
“.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
H. How to Hold On to the Lifeline of Hope
God’s Word emphasizes the importance of belonging to and attending a
supportive church and encouraging church. That means gathering regularly with a
group of people who can love you and encourage you. There’s a community of
people near you who need you as much as you need them. The Bible gives this
message of encouragement ... “Let us not give up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25).
Then, if you begin to feel like you’re drowning in waves of despair, when
you’re at your darkest moment of desperation, you’ll have people you can
contact, people who will connect with you, who truly care when you’re in
crisis. You are not alone. Let God love you ... through His people. ...
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for
each other and for everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
Crisis Card
How can you be rescued in an ocean of despair? You need to be prepared before
you are overwhelmed by wave upon wave of hopelessness. With or without the help
of others, you can equip yourself ahead of time by making a Lifeline Crisis
Card.
From the following suggestions, choose what is appropriate for you, then
outline the steps you will take when you find yourself in an emotional crisis.
Give a copy of your plan to trusted family members or friends, and keep a copy
with you at all times—in your wallet, car, desk, medicine cabinet, and kitchen
cupboard. When you first begin to feel your heart sinking: Reach out for
your lifeline! ...
“Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to
shame, for I take refuge in you.” (Psalm 25:20)
• When
in crisis, I will focus on God ...
— I will pray:
“In you, O Lord,
I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your
righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of
refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me” (Psalm 31:1–3;
pray verses 1–9, 14–24).
— I will recite Scriptures aloud:
“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you
my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the
disaster has passed” (Psalm 57:1; also
read Psalms 27 and 28).
— I will claim God’s promises:
“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise
preserves my life” (Psalm 119:50).
— I will consider how special it is to be a child of
God:
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).
• When
in crisis, I will listen to Christian praise music and Scripture songs:
“Sing to the Lord,
you saints of his; praise his holy name. ... Weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:4–5).
— I won’t listen to heavy metal or acid rock.
— I won’t listen to rap or hip hop.
— I won’t listen to sad, country-western music.
• When
in crisis, I will question myself:
—“Why do I feel the need to hurt myself?”
— “What do I think I will accomplish through this?”
— “According to God, is what I am telling myself the
truth or a lie?”
— “Are my actions and desires reflecting my true
identity in Christ, or are they coming out of my past experiences?”
— “What effect would harming myself have on those who
care about me?”
“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach
me wisdom in the inmost place” (Psalm 51:6).
• When in crisis, I will make positive affirmations:
— “My life is worth living because His Word assures me that I am a child of
God.”
— “God loves me and has a purpose for my life.”
— “Because God has a plan for me, I will treat the body He gave me with respect.”
— “Even though I can’t see the future, I will walk by faith, not by sight.”
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
• When
in crisis, I will review encouraging words:
— Read aloud positive letters and notes from friends
and family.
— Review positive thoughts of why it’s worth it to
heal.
— Recall those who believe in me and in my growth.
— Remember what others have said about why there is
hope for me.
— Rehearse God’s promise. ...
“The Lord
himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
• When
in crisis, I will not:
— Act on impulse
— Do any harmful act or anything even potentially
harmful to myself, to others, or to property
— Drive my automobile if there is a possibility of my
driving recklessly
— Act rashly
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power
and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7
NKJV).
• When
in doubt as to whether an action is harmful, I will ask myself:
— “Would God approve of this?”
— “Would the people I love approve of this?”
— “Would the people who care about me approve of
this?”
If the answer is NO! then I must not do it! If I would hurt innocent
people whom I care about, then I must not do it! No rationalizations, no
excuses, just Do Not Do It!
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the
will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:36).
• When
in crisis, I will:
— Make a list of names and phone numbers of people I
can call for help.
— Make copies of my list and put them in strategic
places (bedside table, medicine cabinet, file cabinet, desk drawer, car).
— Give my list to several caring people.
— After going through the previous steps—if I am still
in a crisis—I will reach out and call others who will be helpful and truthful.
(They can help me regain perspective.) I will continue to go down my call list
until I have reached someone.
— State directly, “I am calling because I am in an
emotional crisis.” I will honestly discuss the feelings and events that led to
the crisis and will explore possible solutions.
— Continue to make phone calls, including repetitions,
until the crisis is resolved, no matter what time of day or night.
Friend:
Relative:
Friend:
Relative:
Friend:
Therapist:
Doctor:
Church:
Pastor:
Crisis Hot Line:
Suicide Prevention: 1-800-Suicide (784-2433)
“Two are better than one, because they have a good
return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity
the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10)
• If
still in crisis after completing these steps:
— I will ensure my physical and emotional safety by
going to a safe environment where I am not alone.
— I will make arrangements to be with a friend or supportive
person.
— I will go to a public place where harming myself is
difficult.
— If all else fails, I will go to a hospital emergency
room and tell them, “I am at risk of harming myself.” I will make it clear, “I
do not want to check in—I simply want to sit in the waiting room for a little
while so that I won’t act on my impulses.”
— If I have diligently and honestly worked through
these steps and I’m still in trouble, then I’m truly in a crisis situation that
may require hospitalization for my protection.
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the
end you will be wise.” (Proverbs 19:20)
Say to yourself, “I can make it safely through a crisis. In God’s eyes I am
valuable, and my life and safety are important!”
No matter your painful ordeal, no matter the hurt that you feel, God knows.
... God hears. ... God cares. ...
“You hear, O Lord,
the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry ....
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their
plea.” (Psalm
10:17; 102:17)
Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys:
Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless.
----------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
God bless
you all!
Join our
Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class 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) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D
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