Acceptance, A Spiritual Principle

 I am not blaming anyone or anything for my condition but accept my fallen and sinful state as an addict. Although there are troubles and challenges as the day is long, I have come to believe that Christ wants to heal me and restore me sanity. 

There was a time though that I needed to play 'the blame game,' in order to soften the blow to my own conscience. But, by denying my own treachery I hindered my own recovery by not accepting the truth of my relapsed condition and worse, the hypocrisy of my testimony. Unbeknownst to me, acceptance was the exact spiritual principle I needed.  I had to admit to myself that something was seriously wrong in my life. That I had created a mess of my life and that my using spilled over to the lives of my loved ones. I admitted this and quit trying to play games with myself anymore and that my life had become unmanageable in many ways. It was not under my control anymore. I did things that I later regretted doing and told myself that I would not do it again. But I did. I kept on doing them, in spite of my regrets, my denials, my vows, my cover-ups and my facades.  I was a Christian Crackhead, living a double life as my addiction had become bigger than me. 

As such, the first step was to admit the truth of where I was, that I was really powerless over drugs, my feelings, and that I needed help. 

In order to move forward I had to accept, then as I do today, not to place fault or accuse someone or some group or situation. My daily prayer is, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others."  

I Am On The Receiving End

Its been a long, hard road. At this point in my salvation and in my recovery, I am coming to accept that there is nothing good in me except the goodness of God, and what I receive, one day at a time from Him. After all, I have been indoctrinated with the humanist belief that I must pull myself up by my own bootstraps, put my best foot forward, "make it a great day," and tell myself, "I got this." All of the well-meaning mantras and good-intentions from psychologists have not understood this one thing, at least for me, is that when I accepted Christ as Lord, I emptied myself out and asked for His life and His power, and trusted that, "It is no longer I that live but Christ in me," Galatians 2:20) The old self, which is unbelieving, rebellious, and loving sin, died with Christ, supernaturally, but it us not until now that I am beginning to understand although I search for strength, ability, talent, and even greatness in my self, that mission is fruitless. It is in God alone in whom I live and move and have my being Acts 17:28.

I am an empty vessel, and I need to go and be filled (2 Kings 4:3-5), I cannot replenish myself. My salvation is not designed to be autonomous or self-reliant, I need Christ and His body to thrive. With this On this day, at the point of my journey, I am truly humbled and encouraged. All the striving and efforts but seemingly gaining little ground, as the sowing I have done in the flesh has reaped all that it ever could, frustration, because my hope and my life is not what I make of it, but it is what I have received.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not vs. Real Faith

I remember that childhood game we used to play with flowers. We would pull its petals going in tandem saying, “He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not.” With each petal pulled, resolving to leave our fate to the outcome of random chance.

That was a childish game but even more childlike is to pray that same way. At one moment we pray with belief, and the next we are in doubt. Our faith at times is like that flower game, “He loves me - the Lord, He loves me not.” Oh, but for the Grace of God! 

We are to always believe, always to pray, and always to give thanks. The Word says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Now that’s real faith. That’s mature and tried faith.  But wait, there’s more, the Word also says,  “Let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,” (James 1:6-7).

So, I decide that I will not have the, “He loves me, he loves me not,” kind of faith, but have that grounded and well established faith that comes from a heart surrendered in full assurance of the goodness of the Lord.

We Have Value, We Are Loved

 How many times have I felt that I needed to accomplish something in order to have value. It is so human to think that successes, jobs, wealth, knowledge, friendships, associations, my appearance, and most of all, my feelings, were indicators of my worth. But in reality, as a child of God, my worth comes from belonging to the Lord. 

Christians are called His children, as 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

So it is not that we are valuable because we receive a job promotion, or because we accumulate a few dollars in the bank, or because someone says, “I love you,” but it is because God has declared that we are His very own.

Therefore, my thought is no longer, “I must be valuable because have been blessed, but it is I am valuable because God says so, hallelujah! Even better, whether the blessings come or not, I’m still loved.

For we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

The Sword Is Weighty

 The sword that we wield is a weighty sword. Like a natural sword, the Word is powerful and able to strike down  formidable enemies, mighty strong holds, and is sharper than any two-edged sword. But we do not have to do it alone. We are not sent on the battlefield without support. We fight with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

David was strengthened by the Lord when cutting off the head of Goliath, and Jael, the woman in the Song of Deborah, who brought down the enemy with a spike. Both were empowered by the Lord. Our victories too require the power of God, walking in His wisdom, and in His strength. Christ says to bring our cares and lay them on His shoulders, assuring us of His available strength saying, “His yoke is easy and His burden is light” (Matt. 11:30).

We were never meant to live the Christian life defenseless. We were never designed to go it alone. Life takes courage and confidence. We need the wisdom and strength of the Lord as we move forward each day. In Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, to win the victory in each battle, one day at a time.

She Wields the Sword

On this wonderful Saturday towards the end of January on brand new year, the question is, why does she wield the sword? She wields the sword because it cuts through the chains of darkness, grief and heaviness and it bares the standard of victory.

The Bible says the Word is sharper than a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). It is by the Word of God that I have been reminded of the goodness of the Lord and have had my hope restored. The truth of God‘s Word has taken an ax to the very root of the source of my insecurities. It cut away the layers of the enemy’s agenda. 

This Sword, the Word of God, defends me against the very onslaught and attack of the enemy. When the lies come on in the form unholy attachments and generational curses, just a flash of this sword’s bright blade turns back the troops of darkness.

It is written, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord raises up a standard against it” (Isa. 59:19). This Standard is the Word, The same Word that Jesus used in the wilderness, it is the same power and very presence of the Almighty God. 

We have been given this Sword in our hands because we have been chosen and made one of his own.

Be The Light

After a long season of darkness and uncertainty, I believe all of us are finding the need to be re-centered, grounded, and focused. With so many choices thrown at us through online messages, print and video media, and perhaps even our faith communities, what or how do we choose best to proceed? 

Well I have found that we base our decisions from the vantage point of our own perceptions which can be distorted. We make choices from a place of need and our personal goals.

But is it what God wants? Is it the best course of action for those we love and want the best for? Will our choices bear the most fruit with an everlasting impact?

It’s easy to slip into a quiet rebellion – going about life in our own way. But the time comes when you and I will have to choose who or what will control us. The choice is ours. Will it be God, or our limited personality, or another imperfect substitute? Once we have chosen to be controlled by God’s  Spirit, let’s reaffirm our choices every day.*

Joshua, the Hebrew leader said to the Israelites, “But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” (Joshua 24:15)

I heard a preacher/teacher once say, “Whatever you do for Christ will succeed.”

“Lord God, help us to choose rightly. We know what’s out there and we know that you are a God of love, so help us to be the light, and help us to move forward. Jesus be glorified, in your name we pray, amen.”

* The Life Application Bible, and NIV, Tyndale House Publishers, 1988