Leaving the Shadows of our Comfort Zones – The Path
Less Traveled – Purity 525
Purity 525 09/16/2021 Purity 525 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s photo of “under the boardwalk” comes to a friend who decided to
take an early September vacation up and down the North Carolina Seacoast. I love the way they captured the peaceful seclusion
“ under the boardwalk” and the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean and that blazing
sun!
Okay, this isn’t a boardwalk, it’s a pier. And the scene caused my
friend to comment: “Another thing I absolutely love is an old wooden pier! There
is such beauty in things that weather unrelenting storms, including each and
every one of us!”
Is it any wonder this person is my friend?! Not only do they share the
beauty of this scene, but they also encourage all their friends with their
words that praise us all for our endurance.
Today is Thursday, and I encourage all my friends to join me as I facilitate
a Freedom in Christ Class tonight at Rock Solid Church and make the teaching
available on the mt4Christ247 podcast for those not local. I usually share a picture of a road or a path
to represent the “pathway of Christian Discipleship” that I encourage people to
walk on each Thursday and while this photo doesn’t feature a pathway, unless
you want to take a “long walk” under a short pier” into the depths of the
Atlantic, I think it is an appropriate photo to represent leaving the safe
confines of our comfort zones behind to press into something better. While the shadows under the pier may provide
comfort and shelter, that blazing sun and the beach beyond invite us to come out
into the open to enjoy its splendor.
Likewise, God’s Son, Jesus Christ sees us in the shadows of our comfort zones,
and He can see that things could be better for us if we take His hand and
follow His way into the light.
When I first got saved I figured I had it all! I didn’t have to worry
about going to hell anymore and believe me that was a real concern and burden
on my heart. So I just thought I could
bask in the shadows underneath Christ’s cross and rest in peace.
But the thing was, I wasn’t dead
yet! Unlike the thief on the cross, I wasn’t going to see Jesus that day in paradise.
I still had a life to live out on the earth and I had the option to use it to
get to know God more and to figure out the purpose of my life.
While I wanted to cling to the cross and stay safely in the shadows of
the joy of my salvation, the Lord called me into the light and assured me that
there was more to “come and see”. So, I
followed. I took the path less traveled…. Like really less traveled. I mean is
that a deer path? A baby deer path? Maybe a raccoon’s path into the wilderness?
Is that a thing?
The point is few, even in the “church” have dared to leave the safety of
the cross to venture on to the path of Christian Discipleship. Going on this
path is a journey where you will surrender the darkness of your past for the
light of God’s way of wisdom that is built on the foundation of the Word of God.
It’s a walk that will challenge your
mind, will, and emotions as you exchange the world’s way for God’s.
As Frost alluded to, I have taken the path less travelled, and it has
made all the difference. Walking this
path by studying God’s word and applying it to my life has led to victory after
victory as I have learned to seek the Lord and surrender to Him more of my life
progressively and continually. It’s a walk
that will test your endurance and commitment but it’s a walk that leads to
peace, joy, and love.
So step on to the path less travelled by placing your faith in Jesus
Christ and leaving the safety of the cross behind to venture out into the purpose
that God has called you to.
Can you BE more Free? In Celebration of National Recovery Month, I thought I would share a photo of me on my last vacation before recovery in 2015 and a photo of me today.
Today’s meditation verse
is drawn from” from the Dr. Charles Stanley’s In Touch Ministries provided
resource: “Freedom: Our Life in Christ” Memory
Verse Cards set:
This morning’s meditation
verse is:
Galatians 2:20 (NASB)
20 “I
have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Today’s verse is the quintessential verse for the
surrendered life in Christ, perfectly detailing the spiritual reality and the
intention of us to live what’s left of our lives for God.
This verse proclaims that is no longer we who live. We’re
dead. The person we were before we
placed our faith in Jesus was killed, crucified with Christ, and we have been
given a new life and resurrected with Him.
Christ gave His life for us and when we place our faith in Him,
we give our lives to Him. That’s what putting our faith in Christ means. We surrender
any ideas of our self-sufficiency to be approved by God by trusting that Christ’s
atoning work on the cross paid for the sins of the world and we humbly ask to
receive it by joining ourselves to Christ in His death and resurrection.
We are given new spiritual life and it really is Christ who
lives in us, for the Spirit of God, The Holy Spirit, comes to quicken our
spirits and to dwell within us. With the power of the Holy Spirit in us and being made spiritually
alive, death is defeated, and we have the power over sin.
When we commit ourselves to live for God in all the aspects
of our lives, we can experience the reality that Christ lives in us, and it is
no longer we who live.
This verse is a big verse in the mission field because it is
often there where this reality is first experienced for many. When you dedicate
a period of time exclusively for the purpose of doing the Lord’s work, you come
in line with the spiritual reality in this verse because you have surrendered
your will completely for God’s purposes.
But you don’t have to go to a foreign mission field, to live
out Galatians 2:20. You can say and pray
this verse today and take that surrendered life into your everyday existence.
So, seek the Lord and His purpose for your life. Examine
your experience and see what else you can give to God.
In this life we pick up a lot of baggage that Lord wants to
help us with. When we give up the familiar ways of our old life for His way, we discover His ‘burden” is lighter and we can
find rest for our souls.
When you feel that relief and rest that comes from giving it
to God, you can rejoice and say, “it is no longer I who live but Christ who
lives in me!”
As
always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from
prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with
their walk.
Today we continue to share from June Hunt’s
Boundaries: How to Set Them, How to Keep Them.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June 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:
B. What Is the Process of Learning Boundaries as a Child?
Boris Onishchenko learns boundaries as a child, developing athletic prowess
that brings him great success in adulthood.
But a premeditated plot to secure a victory . . . a deliberate crossing of
boundaries . . . proves to be his downfall. The fencing portion of the
pentathlon is set to begin, and the Russians are taking on the British. Boris
brandishes his epee before his competitor, Adrian Parker, and the two stand en
garde. Once engaged, an electronic scoreboard detects when their blades
reach their desired target and registers a “hit.” Before long Boris
does indeed get a “hit,” but it appears to spectators that he is a
few inches short from contact. The British call for an inspection of the
scoring equipment to look for a technical malfunction, but all is operating
properly. Boris gets the win, and next competes with a man he’s been fencing
with for decades. This will turn out to be, however . . . their final showdown.
Boris should have heeded the following Scripture. . . .
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker
who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.”
God has determined that children are to learn boundaries within their family
unit from loving parents who have personally established healthy boundaries.
Sadly, not all parents are committed to God’s plan.
If parents never established personal boundaries, how can they teach their
children the importance of boundaries? The development of children follows a
predictable course based on the type of parenting they receive. This is why the
Bible emphasizes the importance of wise parenting. . . .
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake
your mother’s teaching.”
- As a
parent responds to an infant’s cries, the baby begins to… - —Learn
that someone is available to meet needs - —Experience
a sense of having value and worth - —Bond
with available caretakers - —Find
security in bonding relationships - As the
sense of security increases, the child begins to… - —Experiment
minimally with the environment - —Separate
minimally from parents for small increments of time - —Establish
limited personal autonomy - —Experience
the exhilaration of exploration - —As
feelings of confidence and security grow, the child begins to… - —Take
more initiative to explore - —Move
back and forth between the security of parental relationships and the
challenge of separation - —Experience
greater excitement and increased confidence - —Lay
the foundation for formulating legitimate boundaries
When the God-given needs for love, significance, and security are not
appropriately and adequately met in childhood, self-confidence and healthy
independence are not developed and a foundation for the development of a
“codependent” relationships is laid. When rejection rather than
unconditional love is experienced, our “love bucket” (our internal
capacity for love, significance, security, and acceptance) begins to leak and
cannot be filled until those “holes”—or wounds—are healed. Only the
love of our perfect heavenly Parent can reach deep enough and be pure enough to
bring about such healing in the hearts of these wounded individuals. . . .
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are
crushed in spirit. . . . He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their
wounds.”
(Psalm 34:18;
147:3)
Biblical Counseling Keys: Boundaries: How to See Them –
How to Keep Them.
—————————more
tomorrow————————
Join our “Victory
over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes 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). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts,
Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com.
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
Leave a Reply