“If Only…”
When was the last time you were truly at peace with the world? Has substance abuse limited the appeasement of your desires? Believe me, the use of drugs and alcohol is directly related to our contentment.
Choices
Dealing with Tragedy
One day after visiting the grave of my brother, I began to stroll through the cemetery and found the grave of woman whom I had grown up with. Not only was she buried there but also her teenage son. As I stood there reflecting on what could of went wrong in their lives, I noticed as two car loads of young men parked and exited their vehicles. 
I waited for a few seconds as the men stood behind me and then I turned and ask them “Was this someone’s mother? One of the men stepped forward and said “No, her son was our friend.” My response was “I see.” Then I proceeded to share with them that I had grown up in the same Santa Ana, CA neighborhood as the mother and began to mention names of her family members.
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God’s Washrag
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 KJV
When I get up in the morning, I wash my face so that I will be alert and clean. There are many times during the day when I have to wash it again because I get hot and it refreshes me. So it is with Jesus. When we pray the sinner’s prayer and ask Him to forgive us and wash us in His atoning blood, He cleanses us from all sin. However, because of living in a world that is sinful and corrupt, our hearts sometimes become filled with unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, sarcasm and criticism.
Blame or Stewardship?
“Blame holds us back. Responsibility moves us forward. Constant self-blame is just as irresponsible as insisting that others are always to blame.” ~Thom Rutledge
For those of us struggling with addiction and disorder, it is not too long before we encounter blame. It is an insidious creature; it is virtually impossible to escape.
Since our addictive natures are usually heavily intertwined with other complicated life issues, like abuse and trauma, blame often surfaces as a coping device, used to enable us to simply function in our lives. Survival is as far as we can go; healthy flourishing appears to be an out of reach luxury.
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Reasons for Not Worrying
George MacDonald tells of a castle in which lived an old man and his son. Though they owned the castle,
they were yet very poor. They could scarcely get enough bread to keep them from starving. Yet all the time there was great wealth, which, if they had known about it, would have 
supplied all their wants. Through long generations there had been concealed within the castle—very valuable jewels, which had been placed there by some remote ancestor, so that if he or any of his descendants should be in need, there would be something in reserve.
For a long time the old man and his son suffered for lack of food, not knowing of the hidden treasures. At last, however, they learned in some way of the jewels, and instantly their distress was ended. Yet all the years of their pinching poverty, these treasures had lain there, ready to furnish comfort, if only they had known of them.
This story illustrates the case of many Christians. They are living in
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Perception – a Major Element of Addiction
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he… Proverbs 23:7
I like to play with words and phrases. A particular one recently popped up in my mind: “the benefit of the doubt.”
We’ve heard this expression before. It denotes largesse, a generosity to not write off a person or circumstance so quickly. As it rolled around in my spirit, its opposite phrase sprung to life: the detriment of certainty.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23
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Phyical, Spiritual & Sexual Abuse Workshop Transcript #4 (of 4)
Transcript for Session #1
Transcript for Session #2
Transcript for Session #3
Heavenly Father….
we thank You for Dvora who has put so much work into this workshop….
we ask Your mighty blessings upon her and her teachings today….
open our hearts, spirits and minds to the Biblical truths you would have us learn…..
Bring healing to everyone who comes here today…..
in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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Goals of a Spiritual Champion
A businessman was plagued with distractions. At the end of the day, he faced a pile of unfinished work and felt like a failure.
The businessman hired a consultant who charged him a cool million then gave him a piece of organizational advice solving all his problems. “Set goals,” said the consultant, “and put them on your calendar. Each day, list mini-goals you need to accomplish to meet your main goals. Everything else comes second.”
Ever felt like this businessman? I have. We all fight an uphill battle and it is easy to burn out.
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Procrastination > Addiction and Disorders
I have a friend who insists on never saying “goodbye.” Instead, she utters, “Later” at the end of our conversations.
This word started me thinking. And the first thing which popped up was another word, procrastination. Its definition being…
“… the avoidance of doing a task which needs to be accomplished. It is the practice of doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, or carrying out less urgent tasks instead of more urgent ones, thus putting off impending tasks to a later time. Sometimes, procrastination takes place until the “last minute” before a deadline.”
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Moving Beyond Ourselves
…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
I find myself looking forward to the year to come. Appropriately, I’ve been rereading the story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt and their “wilderness wanderings” on the way to the Promised Land. The Scriptures tell us that everything recorded in the Old Testament is there for our learning, and the amazing story of the Exodus is no exception.
Most of us know that this epic story is a picture of our being delivered from a life of sin into new life with Christ, and if we’ve had that very personal experience, we “get it,” the Exodus part, at least.But do we get the rest of it? Do we understand that we were “brought out” so we could be “brought in?” God didn’t simply send His only Son so we could escape death and hell (which is mercy, because we all deserve death and hell!) but so that we could experience the joy of a new life in Him (which none of us deserves, and that, my friends, is grace!).
I wonder how many of us miss out on so
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