With a grateful heart, with a heart of praise, we come to say, Thank You Lord! Gracious God, hallow be thy Name. Let Thy kingdom come and Your will be done in our lives now and forever. Amen.
Thank You for yet another privilege to sit at Your feet and hear the evergreen and undiluted Word of God. We do not take it for granted Lord, for Your Word is light and when light comes every darkness within and without must give way. We are grateful to You for the manifestation of your love on us (1 Jn 4:9)
Beloved, a fresh day a new week, somebody shout Alleluia!!!!!! We are gradually coming to the end of the year but not without the full manifestation of what God had planed for you. Therefore, be sensitive in your spirit mind to get God direction on what to do per time for the full delivery of the balance of your blessings in year 2014. Praise God somebody.
Brethren, still on our topic for the month “New Birth in Christ Jesus”. Do you want to live a godly live and impart your world for Jesus, here are few tips to help you do just that. Are you struggling with any addiction in your life the second part of the message before us will help you to overcome just that. Come along with us as we look into the law of liberty and be free:
Catch! Live! Impart!
Want to change your world for Christ? Then consider this:
CATCH the passion for God and the knowledge of the Holy from extended time alone with Him, or from people who are infected with Jesus Christ. Get around those who are impassioned with being used of God to make a difference in this tired world. Keep in mind that “it is easier to cool down a fanatic than to liven up a corpse.”
“You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5b-7)
LIVE — Prayerfully delve into the Scriptures with the anticipation and trust of a child at Christmas time. Dare to unconditionally live out the truth God reveals to you from His Word. Respond sensitively to the conviction and leading of the Spirit. Claim and appropriate God’s promises to release you from life’s bondages: The fear of man, the love of money, the lust of the flesh, the desire to impress others; a wounded or embittered spirit; the ruts, the familiar, the safe… perhaps even the traditional. (James 1:22; Romans 8:14; Hebrews 6:11, 12; Romans 8:2; Psalm 34:4; Proverbs 29:25; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 John 2:15-17; Hebrews 12:15; Matthew 15:8, 9)
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free… If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31b, 32, 36b)
Allow the Spirit to lead you into areas that demand trust and stretching. Be prepared to be surprised by the goodness of God upon your life. That is because God loves to bless those who dare to take Him seriously! (Acts 4:31; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; 1 Samuel 3:9; Psalm 30:5)
“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him… ” (2 Chronicles 16:9b)
IMPART — As Biblical truth becomes living reality, pass it on to others. That is, fish for men. Engage and infect people’s lives with yours. Take it a step further by making a sustained investment of your life into theirs. Embrace missionary martyr Jim Elliot’s impassioned heart-cry, “Lord, make my life a crossroad in the life of everyone I encounter.” (Matthew 4:19; 2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Corinthians 16:14)
QUESTION: Today, is your life “business as usual,” or is there a fire burning in your soul? If the fire is flickering close to extinction, ask yourself what root issues need to be reexamined? What changes need to be made? Jesus’ word of encouragement may be timely:
“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” (Matthew 12:20a)
I have to discover something even in the body of Christ, people who see themselves as succeeding especially in commerce find it difficult to impart other people live no matter how close and in dare need you are. They will give testimonies of how mighty God is moving in their lives just to delight you, meet the same person after to reason with you on how to get on in life, they will hid their success key and now tell you how they are merely surviving.
Therefore, brethren, let us look unto Jesus, Who is the author and finisher of our faith. Who desire to see you succeed not merely wishing it with mouth order than from the heart. Come to Him, Who will make all grace abound unto for every good work and also to overcome all your weaknesses and addictions in life (Heb 4:14-16). Come on, He is waiting:
Overcoming Addiction
Recently a close friend’s marriage crumbled. Actually, it had been in the process of disintegration for years, but the crisis was carefully masked from public view. Needless to say, I and many others were shocked. Shocked because for years Bert had been intensely involved in investing his life into others. But something just didn’t add up. Over the years I remember thinking, “He‘s doing all the right ‘stuff ‘, but something is wrong at the core.”
The problem? Chemical addiction.
The greater tragedy is not the addiction, however, but Bert’s refusal to come forth, acknowledge his problem, and make himself available for help and accountability. His friends would have gone to the ends of the earth to help him.
When it comes to addictions (sexual, chemical, etc.), two ingredients are essential in breaking the cycle of defeat, anguish, repentance, indulgence, despair, etc., etc.:
- Acknowledgment of the problem:
To yourself. To God. To those closest to you.
You can (and should) repent, pray, memorize Scripture, attend church, etc., etc., but it is axiomatic that you will not break the cycle of addiction without confessing it to another.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed… ” (James 5:16a)
- Accountability to another person (or persons):
You need someone walking with you who will compassionately hold your hand, while firmly holding your feet to the fire in helping you follow through on the necessary behavioral changes,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up… Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10; Proverbs 27:5, 6a)
QUESTION: Do you suffer from an addiction? Do you want deliverance?
If your answers are “yes” and “yes,” then today, confess the problem to a caring fellow-believer and choose to become accountable to an individual or group, as you work toward change. Over the long haul, victory, as demonstrated by behavioral change, will not transpire without acknowledgement and accountability. Are you up to the challenge? (Adapted from FOTM)
Remember, our focus for the month is to review our lives and take stock too. How far we are doing? Like we go to doctors for check-up likewise we should examine our lives in line with the biblical principles. Go to seminars and conventions to hear profound men of God speaks, with heaven open over them. My spirit is bearing witness of someone who is complaining about getting the right person to be accounted to base on past experiences.
We all have such experiences, where after sharing a burden, concern or even addiction with a Christian brother or sister or even a pastor, will turn it to a sermon or you will get to hear it from other sources. I will advise you to prayerful ask God to give you someone to unburden your heart to, who will also help you to pray and ensure you break free and overcome your challenges.
As a counselor or pastor it wrong to share someone experience without their permission. Is morally wrong to share it among the congregation where others can put two and two together and get to know whom you are talking about. Granting you permission to share one’s experience is part of healing process for such an individual or group of persons. Some when they hear their story from other sources get hurt and disappointed. Sometimes they lose confidence in the body of Christ and in most cases they lose their respect for you (Heb 3:13-14).
As children of God, we are encourage not be selfish and self-centered. Be interested in the success of others and their advancement, that way, we will carry each other along in this journey of life. Praise the Lord!
The Lord will help us in any area of our lives where we need His help to live an impactful lives and above any addiction in Jesus’s Name.
Finally, beloved, this week is blessed in the Name of Father, of Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Remain blessed in the Lord.
