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Get Help

03 Mar

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

I have never been a “go to the doctor” guy, only to the ER for emergencies, and I have had my share of them through the years. I am against the societal problem we have of prescription drugs on so many levels, from the corruption of big-pharma in the power struggle of societal control, to the intimacy of individuals struggling on every level as their pawns. I have not had a physical for well over 10 years for those reasons, and even a few others, but something has changed the last couple of years. At 55 I decided to improve what I could control, my diet, and made steps doing so. I went a year with no soft drinks, eating a little better and definitely less, and dropped over 20 lbs and I feel much better. I am continuing the pursuit of my physical improvement in more ways this year, that is a journey that requires determination and will power to do so. God wired me that way, once I put my mind to it, Lord willing, I will accomplish it. There is also a big pride struggle wrapped up into that, but God is also keeping me humble in the realization that I cannot beat father time, my body ain’t what it used to be. I have worked hard and played hard all my life, and I am feeling those pains much more since hitting 50. I have said the thirties and forties did not get me, but fifty kicked me in the teeth.

The real struggle is that I can’t seem to fix my mental health, the struggles with anxiety and depression. I have always been open with them, I have nothing to hide and am not ashamed of it. I love how God has placed those in my path for great conversations. They have both gotten much worse the last couple of years, and I could write a book on that roller-coaster of emotions that come with them, they both make life hard to do when they get as bad as they have been. The red flag for me was when I began to not like doing the things I relax doing, the ways I escaped life’s struggles became struggles. I love working on bikes, shop time, riding, racing, everything with my boys. They became struggles, frustrations at the simplest things, outbursts, withdrawals, there became no way of escaping, and that became scary once I realized it. There are many dark roads Satan will take you down when depressions cloud becomes darker, and the evil thoughts go deeper. It scared me when I traveled those roads and I knew I had to swallow my pride and go seek help.

In a God orchestrated conversation, a great friend recommended his doctor, a man of faith that God gave me to talk to. We spent more time talking about our faith, than we did about me. I share all of the above with him, and told him how I had fought it with my faith, and time in prayer and God’s Word. He applauded that type of faith, and encouraged me that God used his gifts and today’s medicine to help me. Did you know Luke was a doctor, (Colossians 4:14 Luke the beloved physician, …) and he wrote two books in the Bible, the Gospel of Luke, and the account of the church’s growth in the book of Acts. He completely understood my stance, and we agreed on a low dose to take the edge off. I have since went back and we upped it for six months for me to evaluate. I can honestly say I feel better, and I already see God placing friends in my path to encourage them do likewise, to swallow their pride and seek help too.

God does not look down on you for seeking help in any way, period. God works in so many ways to draw us closer to him, so many ways that we don’t understand, Isaiah 55:8-9. Satan may come to God and desire permission for some evil to us, and God may permit it because he sees the good in the outcome, many times drawing us closer to him as a result of our enemies troubles upon us. Romans 8:28. God does not like our pride, and I am a prideful man that he must continue to work on keeping me humble in so many ways. My physical testimony and my mental testimony are both works of a loving God on a guy who desires him to not give up on me, and to hear those words, “Well done good and faithful servant.” I want to finish strong, to be focused on sharing my faith to all God places in my path that he has prepared to hear. I do not want my personal struggles to keep me withdrawn, and all alone to not good. I thank God for dealing me another pride blow of his hammer on this hard headed guy, not moldable like clay, but hard as stone. If God is working on your pride too, trying to make you realize you need help, pray first, and then seek a doctors help also. I did, and I thank God for it.

 
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Posted by on March 3, 2024 in Daily Devotions

 

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Better than sight

27 Sep

Better than sight

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith shows there is no difference
In your eyes open or not;
Faith is the invisible handle
On what you have got.

Faith does not need to see
God’s writing on the wall;
Faith does not need proof
Faith does not need to see at all.

To seek to see shows lacking
Your faith is not that strong;
If sight is what you rely on
Your missing it all along.

Anyone can see
Only His can feel;
His presence in themselves
Never doubting He is real.

A heart can see the proofs
As the eyes never can attain;
The soul becomes strengthened
Passing the intellect of the brain.

Faith cannot be taught
In books it can never be learned;
Faith is a move of God
With Him it is earned.

Faith is possessed
It cannot be taken away;
The hope that you have
Must be on display.

Your faith encourages others
They want what you proclaim;
Make your when you share it
The glory is in His name

 
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Posted by on September 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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When YOU are ready

15 Sep

When YOU are ready

Hebrews 11:1-2     Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

Helloooo…..is there anybody up there????? God, are you hearing my prayers? I have been praying to you about this, but you don’t answerrrrrr me. Why don’t you answer me? We all have made those statements; those statements show our level of faith in them. Not receiving an answer, or maybe even receiving one we don’t like, so we continue to pray hoping to change God’s mind. Thank you God for so many unanswered prayers. It is in our little minds that we lack that understanding of how God operates out of the confines of time; He created time, rules time, and is not bound by time. When I stress out over the things that don’t happen on my timetable with God, the Holy Spirit always seems to whisper this scripture to me: 2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Can you look at the entire Bible in the light of that scripture? In God’s eyes, it has only been a couple of days since Christ payed for our sin debt due. Look at how our world has run from God again; we are just like the stubborn, stiff-necked Israelites of the Old Testament. We see the proof of God, and then turn our backs on him, over and over again.

Hebrews 11 is the place to go for the proof of those patriarchs of faith. Those people that had such great faith in God, they put their lives entirely in his hands. It was by this faith, that verse two shows that God considered them righteous by their faith. Hebrews 11 is the chapter on which one’s faith is proven by the action that is taken. The level of our faith can be found in the understanding of the sunrise we see every day. The simple beauty and incredible complexity of all creation, right down to us as His greatest creation. Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (ESV) If God can breath a star into existence, the details of my life are a breeze. The level of your faith will determine how you live your life. “You are what you believe”, a best friend, and the Godliest man I know once told me. Your faith is found in that statement and self-analysis. It will guide your every decision in the background of your mind. When you are wondering the “whys” of your life, and or your prayer life, consider that God is testing your faith in delayed responses in and to them. Keep drawing near to God and He will answer you, when YOU are ready.

 
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Posted by on September 15, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Reckless abandonment

18 Jun

Reckless abandonment

Matthew 14:29-30   So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

I read this passage in My Utmost for His Highest devotional this morning. It is of the story of Peter in the great storm at sea; when they all were afraid they were going to die, and they saw Christ walking on water. Peter joined him in the example of reckless abandonment to Christ. There is so much to unpack in this story; of how Peter asked for Christ to call him out, of how he wanted to be in the center of His Will, of how when his eyes were on Christ, he was on the top of the waves; of how when he took his eyes off Christ, he began to sink and surely drown. Christ saved him and the sea was calmed.

Oswald writes of how to not question where we are in life, of to not question the circumstances that surround our lives, especially if we are abandoned to Christ in them. Do you feel that tug for more of Christ? Do you feel Christ calling you to something special, something that takes an act of obedience to that call? Do you understand that is a rock of Christianity; the acts of obedience to what our Lord is calling us to do? Christianity is not a religion where we set up our pleas for God to bless and join us in our plans we have laid out. Christianity is about joining God where He is already at work, and dedication of ones life to following Him in that work. Christ spoke the words “follow me” 21 times in the New Testament. John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

How can you follow Him if you do not hear him? How can you hear Him if you do not seek him? How can you say you seek Him if you only do so one day a week, or only when you have a need arise? Only a true heart for Christ can hear that still, small voice that comes from him. That still small voice is one that is heard only when one seeks to silence all the static the world provides. That still, small voice is heard in the alone times with Him; when all else sleeps, or when solitude is found. He hears your petitions and prayers; he discerns your heart and sees through the fluff. You will come to know and hear Him, the more your heart genuinely pursues him. Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. If you truly have a heart for Christ, you will live your life in pursuit of all that He is, and has laid out for you. You will live your life in pursuit of obtaining and remaining in the center of His Will for it. Reckless abandonment to all that he speaks to you.

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Rough week

19 May

Rough week

Ephesians 4:22-24    that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

It has been an incredibly long, stressful week. The demands at work have simply been more than I could keep up with alone; I could have tripled my work force with the demand. It has been one of those Murphy’s Law weeks; every thing that could go wrong did, and three times on a large scale. Anger, anxiety, depression, and temptation seemed to have been at every turn. I seemed to have been tempted to return to my old self, over and over again in so many ways. Satan has been after me this week with a gun blazn’ assault. I failed myself and my Lord in the heat of battle a few times. Conviction set in, and I am thankful for it. That steep conviction of sin in my gut is an assurance of Salvation to me; I know that I have grieved the Holy Spirit living inside me, for I know that Christ lives there. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians tells us of these struggles that we will face for our time here. Paul wrote to those in Ephesus to encourage them of how to live in their faith as believers in Christ; of how to face all the troubles before them with the hope that lived in them. My study Bible titles Ephesians 4:17-24 “The New Man.” I and you are a new person in Christ. We will still face the troubles and temptations of this world, many times direct attacks from our enemy to take our eyes off Christ. Throughout Ephesians Paul points us to how to face them; not alone but in the likeness of Christ. Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. The ultimate goal of God for you is to make you more like His Son.

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (ESV). This week has been a week to remind me of how far I was from God for so much of my life. This week has been a week to make me realize God’s grace given to me, an undeserving soul. This week has been a week to make me realize I am a work in progress; I will fail and I will seek forgiveness for all my life. Ephesians is a great place to go spend time when you need a reminder of who you are, and how you are to live your life as a Christian. Even when you have a week like mine, you are still a child of His.

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Only when it works for me

19 Apr

Only when it works for me

Matthew 8:19-22     Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Christ had preached his great Sermon on the Mount; his sermon in response to those who had followed his call of repentance. This sermon was of how to live as a Christian. The large crowd had followed Jesus as he came down from the mountain at the sermons end. Christ had performed miraculous healings, even by only His spoken word from afar for a Roman officers ill servant. Christ was astonished at the level of his faith. Matthew 8:8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! The crowds were growing much larger, everyone wanted to be close to Him, to hear what he had to say and to witness or receive the miracles. Many were caught up in the moment of it all.

Christ told the disciples that it was time for them to get into their boats and go to the other side of the Sea of Tiberias, it was much more that departing to flee the crowds. He knew that he must spread himself to all that would hear his words everywhere, but it was also a testing of those that would follow him. Many of us want all of Him when it is convenient, when He is at our door, or our church; but what about when He asks us to follow Him across the sea, across the street, to step out into the unknown in faith? Is your faith real, or convenient? This scripture above points to two individuals who seemed to want to step out in faith, to go the distance to follow Christ, to draw near to Him. Christ spoke clearly to each individual of the cost of discipleship. To my knowledge it is unknown how they responded. How would you?

Christ spoke to his disciples telling them of the cost of following him. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Christ has called us to discipleship, not to life resting on the grace that came at the cost of His blood on the Cross. Can you claim the prize without running the race? Can you claim Salvation yet continue to live in sin, or let their be no evidence of Him in your life? If you are zealous on this side of the sea with Him, will you go to the other side of the sea to follow Him? Will you forsake all that you have in a temporal life for an eternal reward? What will you do, or the harder question, what will you not do to follow Christ? He may press upon you heart a great thing to gauge where your heart is with Him. Do you follow, or do you walk away? The rich young ruler was zealous, when it was convenient. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 
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Posted by on April 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Hard Bottom

05 Apr

Hard Bottom

2 Corinthians 12:9-10   But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (ESV)

Yesterday I spent some time in an online course in Hermeneutics, which is how to study the Bible. I also spent some time reading a great book by David Platt, who’s heart lies in discipleship and evangelism. It became evident how these two intertwined; the heart of a disciple and the provision of God in His Word for all they need. All throughout the Bible are the evidences of how God miraculously provided for His people in relation to their faith; especially when that faith is rooted in His Word. We must’t respond or rely on emotion, but on the promises written in His Word for our benefit. Satan lies in our questioning God’s Word; “did God really mean?” Platt made a great point to beware of teachers that use that phrase, for that phrase was when man fell into sin in the garden of Eden at the beginning of time.

Paul was speaking of how He had been given great revelations; of how he could easily rest on them and preach a good word rooted in his pride. Of how God had allowed a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble; Satan meant it for evil and God meant it for good. Paul came to realize that in all his problems, he could glorify God. In everything he faced it could draw him closer to the One who was extended him grace through it. When we are struggling with anything, Satan comes in and attempt to plant doubt. He tries to weaken our faith; he is the ultimate deceiver, and if we let him we will take our eyes of God and the promises in His Word. But if we go to God in his Word and prayer, we gain strength and provision to fight the enemy. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Platt also wrote about one of my favorite chapters in the Bible; John 15. This chapter is where we are taught about abiding; a state of being IN Christ. In this chapter we are told of the relationship we should seek with our Savior, of a life focused on that relationship. Outside of the qualifications of a disciple found in John 15 is a scary place to be. But being found in that abiding relationship is the answer to all you need to accomplish the life and work He has planned for you. John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If you try to rest on the religiosity that comes on Sundays alone, you are not abiding or living your life as a disciple. The troubles you face, you face alone in your power, not the grace of God. Humble your heart and seek Him daily. Seek to grow into what He has given you with the power to be as a disciple of His. In that is found everything you need; for even when you are at your weakest point, your strength lies in Him.

 
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Posted by on April 5, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Sleepless Nights

16 Mar

Sleepless Nights

Psalm 138:3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.

There are those times in life when sleep escapes us. We toss and turn and try to rest for our bodies are weary. We are tired from the mental strain that is upon us, and sometimes this can tire the body more than the physical work. The mind is so powerful, when it is operating under peak demand, its toll is taken on the whole body and our physical energies are spent on it. Yet when we lie down to rest, to regain our strength, our mind has not yet come to the end point of it’s work. It continues to generate and the sleep that renews escapes us. I have had many of those nights recently, and I am sure many of you are under mental strains yourselves.

Although I cannot hit the off switch in my mind, I can rest in the assurance that all is well. The anxieties, (that really aren’t always anxieties), just seem to preoccupy my thoughts for more hours than I desire to remain awake. I am currently under great strains, yet I am also under great care in the arms of my King. This brings about a peace in these stressful situations that the world does not understand, but it presents an opportunity to share what you possess with those that know the strain. David fills the Psalms with his heart for God in all that he faces. It does not matter what he is facing, even when he questions God, he knows God is in control of all of it. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. God has either allowed or designed where you are at right now. Whatever you are facing will either draw you closer to Him, or Satan will drag you away from Him, depending on where your heart lies.

Sleepless nights are many times the best alone time with God. A friend of mine calls these times “Nightwatch”, when he is awoken and feeling led by God to pray. Opening the Bible in the stillness of the night removes the white noise static of the world. Prayer and meditation from hearts that cry out in these quiet hours are moving times with God. There is something special when God awakes you in the middle of the night. We want the spectacular, the power of God evident to us, yet we may miss the still small voice that comes at 2am. When God spoke to Elijah, it was not in the evidences of His power, it was in the whisper. 1 Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. It may be that God knows you will only hear Him in the still of the night when only He has your attention.

 
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Posted by on March 16, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Broken branches

12 Mar

Broken branches

2 Timothy 1:2-5    To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

What is your heritage? What do you know of the generations from which you descended? Our lines may be a mystery,  they may be shrouded in pain, they may be something we wish to hide from, for God delivered us from painful situations. Our stories may all differ, but we all have a story. We all were raised in one of two situations; either in a God fearing home, or one that did not recognize Him. There is no middle ground here; you either raised a Christian or you were not. God may have delivered you as the beginning of your ancestral line into His kingdom for your generations that follow you. God may have placed you in a line of His elect, and you were the one who rebelled against Him; that was my story. I was the prodigal son who came from a line of Christians, even a pastor, but yet desired to rebel against God for much of my life. The power of praying parents and Godly influences softened my heart, and I responded to His invitation.

Paul was encouraging his “adopted” son, his protege, the one whom he loved dearly in his most likely last words to him in second Timothy. Paul was in prison and knew his execution was imminent, he desired to see Timothy again, and to encourage him to keep the faith in all the adversity that he would surely face. He pointed Timothy to his upbringing, his heritage, the strong faith that been instilled in him as a child. His heritage was that of loving family that desired and encouraged him in the same faith. 5 genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. In this depth of faith is where Timothy would find strength and his spiritual gifts. Timothy’s gift is not named, but Paul encouraged him to seek the pursuit of the use of it to God’s glory. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Paul is using all this to point out to Timothy where he has come from, where his heritage lies. This should have encouraged Timothy and strengthened his faith in the understanding of where God has placed him for service. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Paul did not want Timothy to fear the persecutions that lie ahead as a minister of the faith; he spends much time in Timothy assuring him that persecution will come. We may be living in the days of the descriptions of 2nd Timothy; of false prophets and growing persecutions of Christians; of a time when we must suffer for Christ. Are you running from where He has placed you when you look at your family tree? Are you the rebel without a cause? Could that cause become to glorify Christ in your remaining life?

 
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Posted by on March 12, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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From the bottom of the sea to dry land

27 Feb

From the bottom of the sea to dry land

Jonah 2:1-3    Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. 2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.

They did it; the sailors on the boat which Jonah was on threw him into the sea to escape the wrath of God upon them as a result of Jonah’s disobedience to God. They pled for God’s mercy on the sacrifice they were performing; Jonah knew he was about to die. God prepared the fish that swallowed him whole, and in Jonah’s mind it was likely the end. Jonah describes seemingly being taken to the bottom of the sea, to the “roots of the mountains” (ESV); to the gates of the dead found there. His near death experience led him to plea to God; to turn his face towards the temple and pray. At some point in this incredible journey he came to realize the great fish was there to save him. He repented of his sin and disobedience and the great fish vomited him onto dry land.

The only place to look when you are at your seemingly bottom is up. You can either concentrate on looking down into the pit of pity, or you can look up to the One who can deliver you from there. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. Jonah had done nothing but run from God, nothing but disobey God, nothing to deserve God’s mercy. Jonah is another example of salvation by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. God is letting you face these seemingly insurmountable trials to draw you to Him; it is in him that you find what you have been looking for all along: Eternal hope and the security of it. Once you possess it, the rest will seem trivial.

I am at a seemingly financial death, a place where the only place I can look is up. I believe Satan wants me to cry out in anger at my God for the loss of imaginary financial security. I believe God is allowing me to go there to grow in my faith and rest on his provision for me. I do not know what tomorrow may bring, but I know what God is calling me to do in a large step of faith. It is when you are at these places in your life that you are closer to God than ever. It is at the places in life that you say “Yes God, I will.” Jonah let go of his prejudices towards Nineveh, and obeyed God in the very hard command to go and preach repentance. As a result an entire evil nation repented and was eternally saved. What is your reluctance holding back?

 
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Posted by on February 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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