Knowing Him in Truth  – Thank the Father It’s Friday –  – Purity 556

Purity 5565 10/22/2021   Purity 556 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of Mum’s back yard comes to us from who a friend who recently
visited their mother’s home and some surrounding areas to enjoy the blessings
of the season and the company of the woman who brought them into this world and
raised them to have a compassionate heart that extends beyond their human friends
to exotic members of the animal kingdom as their profession as a zookeeper requires
love and patience to calm animals that naturally are wild at heart.  

I just love the explosion of Autumn colors that my friend captured here,
and it makes me want to say: “Orange you glad its Friday!”  Okay I guess I couldn’t resist that “Dad” Joke,
but it is my desire to wish all of my friends a Happy Friday and to encourage
them to thank their heavenly Father for the last day of the work week and for
all that He is and for all that He has done. 

Last night, in the Freedom in Christ class we shared the “My Father God”
resource that teaches us to renounce the lies that we may have believed about
God and to choose to believe the truth about who God really is, that is
revealed in the word of God, and in our experience as we choose to seek Him and
His ways and get to know Him more.  

I share that resource here today and encourage you to read through it
and to really renounce the lies you may have believed about God and to embrace
these truths about your Heavenly Father:  

My Father God

 

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, are distant and uninterested in me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, are always personally present with me,
have plans to give me a hope and a future, and have prepared works in advance
specifically for me to do. (Psalm 139:1-18; Matthew 28:20, Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians
2:10).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, are insensitive and don’t know me or care for me.

I choose to believe
the truth that You, Father God, are kind and compassionate and know every
single thing about me. (Psalm 103:8-14;  1 John 3:1-3; Hebrews 4:12-13).

I renounced the lie
that You, Father God, are stern and have placed unrealistic expectations on me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, have accepted me and are joyfully
supportive of me. (Romans 5:8-11; 15:17).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, are passive and cold toward me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, are warm and affectionate toward me. (Isaiah
40:11; Hosea 11:3-4).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, are absent or too busy for me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, are always present and eager to be with
me and enable me to be all that You created me to be. (Phil 1:6; Hebrews 13:5).

I renounced the lie
that you, Father God, are impatient or angry with me or have rejected me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, are patient and slow to anger, and that
when You discipline me, it is a proof of Your love, and not rejection. (Ex 34:6;
Romans 2:4; Hebrews 12:5-11).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, have been mean, cruel, or abusive to me.

I choose to
believe the truth that Satan is mean, cruel, and abusive, but You, Father God,
are loving, gentle, and protective. (Ps 18:2; Matt 11:28-30; Eph 6:10-18).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, are denying me the pleasures of life.

I choose to
believe the truth that you, Father God, are the author of life and will lead me
into love, joy, and peace when I choose to be filled with Your Spirit. (Lam
3:22- 23;    Gal 5:22-24).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, are trying to control and manipulate me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, set me free and gave me the freedom to
make choices and grow in Your grace. (Gal 5:1; Heb 4:15-16).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, have condemned me and no longer forgive me.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, have forgiven all my sins and will
never use them against me in the future. (Jeremiah 31: 31- 34; Romans 8:1).

I renounce the lie
that You, Father God, reject me when I fail to live a perfect or sinless life.

I choose to
believe the truth that You, Father God, are patient toward me and cleanse me
when I fail. (Proverbs 24:16; 1 John 1:7- 2:2).

 I AM THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE! (Deuteronomy
32:9-10).  

If you realize that
you have had a faulty understanding of God, reading this list out loud every
day for six weeks or so can dramatically help heal your emotional pain.

I hope that reading
this list has drawn you closer to God and I hope that you have a great Friday
and a wonderful weekend.   Keep walking
and talking with God because He loves you, wants what’s best for you, and will
show you the way you should go if you choose to seek His wisdom and follow His
ways.

(There is more
content to help you walk out your journey of faith at MT4Christ dot org. You
can also subscribe to the mt4christ247 podcast to hear this message, our
discipleship classes, and our weekly Bible Study, on Apple, Google, Spotify, and
Amazon Podcasts, as well as Audible and Podbean).

#Christian #christianity #encouragement #freedominchrist #christiancounseling
#jesuschrist #mt4christ
#discipleship #victoryoverthedarkness #Dating #mt4christ247podcast 

Today’s Bible verse
is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Proverbs 19:11 (NLT2)
¹¹  Sensible people control
their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

Today’s verse teaches us a core concept that increases our ability
to control our anger.

Proverb 19:11 clearly teaches us that it is sensible to control
our tempers and that we can earn respect by overlooking wrongs.  And it is indicative that the ability to
control our tempers is tied to the ability to overlook wrongs.  

Now when we look at scripture we should know that God’s wisdom is
all inclusive, meaning that it is consistent with His various attributes of
being good, forgiving, all knowing, just, and loving.   So when proverbs tells us to “overlook
wrongs” we should understand that we are not to ignore wrongs or excuse them
necessarily but that our tempers can be controlled by forgiving them.  

The process of “overlooking wrongs” has to be done with God’s
wisdom. Some wrongs cannot be overlooked immediately and need to be prevented
or corrected. God doesn’t ask us to let people walk all over us necessarily or
to do evil deeds and let them go unchecked.  

God’s forgiveness comes to those who repent but God is also
merciful to those who don’t deserve it, like all of us, so while we should
stand for righteousness and resist evil 
we have to be wise in our walk of faith by being discerning and not becoming
bitter towards others because they sin against us.  

Christ instructed us to love our enemies.  That’s a dynamic that we fail to understand
and really requires us to forgive and “overlook wrongs”.  So we have to draw close to God and use His
guidance so we are “sensible” and can control our tempers.  

Learning which battles we should fight, what offenses we can
overlook, and how we should respond in different scenarios all comes from knowing
what God would have us do and applying His wisdom to our lives but at the same
time we should also understand that we are to share God’s love with those
around us.   

So examine your emotions in light of God’s wisdom and will for your
life and realize that God’s greatest desire is for people to come to Him and
that as representatives of His kingdom we have to walk in a way that will show
His righteousness, wisdom, love, justice, and compassion.  

It’s easier said than done of course, but Christ overlooked the
wrong of being hung on a cross and if He can do that because of His love for us,
we can do the same regarding wrongs done against us for the love of Him.

 

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 sharing from June Hunt’s Dating:
Secrets to Great Relating When Dating  

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 Addictive Patterns Are Mistaken for Love?

Vanessa grows up in an abusive home with an angry, alcoholic father and a
codependent, enabling mother. She escapes the reality of her world into the
fantasy realm of romance novels and movies where she superimposes herself at
the center of every story. The hero always saves her…and the story
always ends with living happily ever after—for her.

But in real life, that’s not what Vanessa experiences. She lacks a healthy
self-image and the emotional maturity to realize that the attention she
receives isn’t love. Regardless, she soaks it up like a thirsty sponge.

Soon classmates clamor for dates with Vanessa because she never says no.
She keeps searching for her hero and goes out with one boy after another.
Addicted to the euphoria of the early elements of romance, her dates label her
as “easy,” but she truly is easy prey. She doesn’t know how to
say, no, and there’s no real hero on her horizon.

Her dates have no interest in her as a person…it’s all about them and what
they can take from her. How much different her life could have been had
she looked to the Lord for the deepest desires of her heart. The Bible says…

“Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Love’s
Mistaken Identities

Most might associate addictive behavior with drugs or alcohol, but
relationship addictions are just as prevalent…and just as destructive. Three
of these addictions include romance, relationships, and sex addictions.

The plight of these love addicts would seem without solution were it not for
the Lord, who is the only true Savior, the One who loves them unconditionally
and eternally. The Bible gives this assurance…

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with
unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

• Relationship
  Addiction (Codependency)
• —Codependent
  people today are those who are dependent on another person to the
  point of being controlled or manipulated by that person.
• —Codependency
  became the word that describes the dysfunctional behavior of family
  members seeking to adapt to the destructive behavior of the alcoholic.
• —Codependency
  is a relationship addiction. Just as the alcoholic is dependent on
  alcohol, the codependent is dependent on being needed by the
  alcoholic…or on being needed by someone who is problematic. Today, a
  codependent is anyone who is dependent on trying to help someone to the point
  of being controlled or manipulated by that person.
• —Codependent
  “enablers” enable addicts or dysfunctional people
  in their lives to continue with their addictions without drawing and
  maintaining boundaries. Codependency can be compared to the sin of
  depending on false gods that are powerless to help or depending on a
  broken water well that won’t hold water. It simply won’t work!
• Romance
  Addiction
• —A
  “love” addiction in which you feel your identity is in
  another person (A weak “love addict” is emotionally
  dependent on someone considered “strong”)
• —A
  “savior” addiction in which you feel your identity is in
  your ability to meet the needs of another person (A strong
  “savior” needs to be needed by someone considered “weak”)
  

We learn in Jeremiah…

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring
of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot
hold water.” (Jeremiah
2:13)

• Sex
  Addiction (Impact of Pornography)
  If only every addict would heed the words in the very first book of the
  Bible…. “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But
  if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires
  to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).
  
• —Pornography
  is the depiction of erotic activity for the purpose of arousing sexual,
  lustful excitement.
• —Pornography
  debases sexuality and ridicules Christian values in favor of lust and
  immorality.
• —Pornography
  attempts to arouse indiscriminate sexual lust and devalues the human
  body, which God designed specifically for intimacy in marriage and for
  procreation.
  Jesus said…“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not
  commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
  lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”
  (Matthew
  5:27-28).
• Sexual
  Abuse/Incest Victims
  Children cannot change their parents; however, they can change their
  powerless responses in adulthood—choosing not to stay powerless. If you
  were abused as a child, your challenge—along with that of every victim—is
  to move from victim to victor… from sufferer to survivor… from
  emotionally overwhelmed to overcomer. By giving our lives to the Lord, we
  can experience Jesus’ power to be an overcomer….
  “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
  overcome the world” (John 16:33).
  

Victims

• —Continue
  to feel like victims into adulthood, living with a “victim
  mentality”—still feeling powerless and therefore acting powerless
• —Relive
  their past by moving from one abusive relationship to another
• —Live in
  denial and refuse to face the dark, hidden secret of the past
• —Possess
  no knowledge of how to find help and healing…having little hope of
  receiving either

Survivors

• —Realize
  the need for facing the past in order to heal from the past
• —Work hard
  to identify and resolve false guilt, shame, anger, and unforgiveness
• —Honestly
  deal with debilitating issues such as personal sin and repentance, loneliness,
  and grief
• —Commit to
  gaining mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing

Conquerors

• —Live
  victoriously over the past—no longer in bondage to painful memories
• —Develop
  an intimate relationship with Christ, giving Him control
• —Grow in
  self-worth and the capacity to experience authentic love and intimacy with
  others
• —Experience
  the desire and reality of reaching out and ministering to others

The Bible reveals
this hope for victory…

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved
us.” (Romans
8:37)

Emotionally Stuck Victims

Question: “Why do many victims
seem emotionally stuck?”

Answer: Abused children
become developmentally delayed—emotionally. The abuse interrupts their ability
to progress to the next stage of growth. It takes some degree of normalcy,
safety, and a healthy home environment for developmental stages to be reached,
goals to be met, and maturing to occur.

After the abuse is successfully processed, emotional healing takes place and
developmental goals can be accomplished. Until this happens, victims can remain
emotionally stuck, responding to life as children rather than adults. The ultimate
aim is to experience lasting healing—to move from being a victim to being a
victor—and to be able to say…

“Lord my God, I called to
you for help, and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)

Sexual Desire Vs. Lust

Question: “At what point does
normal sexual desire turn into lust?”

Answer: It is natural to
be attracted to someone, but unnatural to sexualize a person. When your mind
moves from normal attraction…to consuming passion to do a sexually impure
act, then you experience lust. The Bible warns…“People are slaves to
whatever has mastered them” (2 Peter 2:19).

Is your sexual activity…

• Secretive……………………….not
  within normal cultural boundaries and filled with guilt and shame?
• —Living
  a double life
• Hollow…………………………..not
  a relationship with a spouse, but a relationship with sexual passion?
• —Prioritizing
  sexual passion over people
• Abusive………………………….not
  uplifting to yourself or to others, but degrading to both?
• —Exploiting
  others and debasing yourself
• Mood-altering……………….not
  facing difficult feelings, but seeking an emotional quick fix?
• —Using
  sexual passion for comfort or to avoid working through painful emotions
• Essential……………………….suggesting
  that you cannot live without sexual passion?
• —Convincing
  yourself that sex is the most important thing in life The Bible says…

“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil
desires.” (Romans
6:12)

Interdependence

Question: “What is wrong with
people depending on people?”

Answer: We should have a
healthy interdependence on others in the sense that we value and enjoy each
other and love and learn from each other, but we should not be totally
dependent on each other. Essentially, an interdependent relationship involves a
healthy, mutual give-and-take where neither person looks to the other to meet
each and every need.

Many people, however, have a misplaced dependence on others. These
relationships are not healthy, for God intends for us to live in total
dependence on Him. Over and over, the Bible portrays how godly people learn to
have a strong dependence on the Lord rather than a weak dependence
on each other. The apostle Paul said we should…

“… not rely on ourselves but on God…” (2 Corinthians 1:9)

Needing to Be Needed

Question: “I know I should date a
woman who is secure and confident, but why am I attracted to women who are
needy and insecure?”

Answer: You want to be a knight in shining armor and rescue a damsel in
distress. But once you have rescued her and she goes on with her life, she will
likely not value you as a person—only as a rescuer. Be wanted because of who
you are, not because of someone’s emotional unhealthiness.

• Someone
  who is emotionally healthy will love you out of personal strength and will
  be able to accept you unconditionally, offering you security in the
  relationship.
• Someone
  who is emotionally needy is typically self-focused and limited in
  sensitivity to the needs of others. Emotionally needy people are more
  often “takers” rather than “givers” in relationships
  and “use people up” emotionally.

Seek someone with emotional maturity and spiritual wisdom, someone who can
help you grow more and more in your relationship with the Lord. Follow this
biblical instruction…

“Walk with the wise and become wise.” (Proverbs 13:20)

Biblical Counseling Keys: Dating: Secrets to Great Relating When Dating.

—————————more
tomorrow————————

 

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship