Out of the Shadows, Seeking the Lord – Purity 1497
Purity 1497 11/07/2024 Purity 1497 Audio Podcast
Purity 1497 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Well, It’s Thursday and I share this darkened, chilly pathway photo of a visual reminder to get on, or to stay on, the pathway of Christian Discipleship and to encourage us to remember that while it may seem darkest just before the dawn, when the light comes in the darkness is expelled and when we walk in the light of the Lord we never have to go back into the shadows.
Last night, I was simultaneously saddened and encouraged by the return of an old friend to the Celebrate Freedom Support Group who admitted that they had fallen and once again realized that they needed help with their hurts, habits, and hang-ups and that they couldn’t do it alone. When you “take a vacation” from recovery, even if you are walking in freedom, you have to be careful because the sheep that walks away from the flock is often the one that gets attacked! At Celebrate Freedom, we reference.
1 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT2) that tells us
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
Just because you have a measure of freedom doesn’t mean you cannot remain diligent in maintaining it. While I am not saying that someone “must attend meetings” to achieve sobriety and freedom from bad habits, I am saying that you should have regular meetings with the Lord to remind yourself of who He made you to be and to receive His help, guidance, and strength to have your mind renewed and to win another day’s battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
This person, unfortunately, who never truly set the goal of total sobriety and abstinence from alcohol, believed that the lie that “moderation is the key” and deceived themselves by believing that they could control their tendency to do the wrong thing – get drunk – without any negative consequences. Their tale was one that has been heard countless times in recovery circles. They thought they could have just a little bit of their poison from time to time without any problems but the truth is that for the addict – as one of my colleagues testifies – “One drink is too much and a thousand is never enough”, so we who come to the hard realization that we are an alcoholic have to choose and commit ourselves to never drinking again if we want to be free.
This person stopped coming to meetings, dabbled in some “social drinking” and drunkenness and while they weren’t instantly destroyed, their sin got its teeth into them and eventually led them to hide their drinking and means of getting alcohol to the point that they stole money from others to feed their addiction rather than be discovered., They were running in the shadows, living a double life, and forsaking all the things that had learned and were avoiding the community in which they found a measure of peace. Eventually their sin was found out, leading them to anger, bitterness, and shame. They admitted that they didn’t just stop coming to our meetings but also admitted that they stopped going to church services altogether. Essentially, they stopped seeking the Lord and the darkness came in. But thankfully, last night they began the process of repenting and seeking the Lord once again.
Today’s In Touch with Charles Stanley addresses the topic of seeking the Lord and I am sharing it today to remind us all of the importance of continually seeking the Lord and His will for our lives. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“Seek the Lord
A close relationship with the Lord is built by dedicating time to spend with Him—day by day, year by year.
A close relationship with the Lord doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires continual, deliberate decisions to pursue Him. Intimacy can’t be achieved in an inspiring weekend conference, nor can it be accomplished by reading a chapter or two of the Bible and praying indifferently. Seeking God is a lifetime commitment—day by day, year by year.
Too many believers are satisfied to have a shallow, superficial relationship with the Lord. They’ll approach God for relief from suffering or fulfillment of other needs but are unwilling to sit quietly for an extended period of time just getting to know Him through prayer and His Word. Yet the most important pursuit in a believer’s life is building a relationship with God. (See Ps. 27:4.) To forfeit this great blessing is a tragedy.
God doesn’t need anything from you, but He desires your loving devotion and intimate fellowship. Ask yourself, Is this what I want, too? If your answer is yes, are you willing to make the necessary commitment? Seeking the Lord cannot be something you hurry through or approach casually (Psalm 63:1). It will cost you time and effort, but the rewards are worth any sacrifice.” – Charles Stanley
Seek the Lord – three little words that comprise our purpose for living but unfortunately if we don’t understand that our faith is supposed to be a continuous loving relationship with God where we learn, grow, and act according to His ways, we can come to the misguided conclusion that “I Found Him” or “I Know “this” and become dissatisfied or disappointed with “our religion” and begin to walk away and get lost in the shadows of our former lives or get consumed by the day to day circumstances that surround us and subtly believe the lie that “I am alone” or “I have to do everything myself”.
These lies separate us from God’s presence and draw us into sin or despair.
The Truth is that God is with us, but we must seek His presence, wisdom, and strength every day to receive from Him. If we commit ourselves to walking with Him, we will be blessed. But if we don’t seek Him, the world and its lies will lead us into sin.
So seek the Lord today and every day. He is faithful and true and the more you spend time “seeking Him” the more you will be amazed by the work that He does in you.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
———————————————————————– verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Giving.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NASB)
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Today’s verses are the third of three passages of scripture that fall under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Giving.
2. The Lord wants us to give generously and cheerfully.
Today’s Bible Verses encourage us to be generous with our giving but not to do so grudgingly or out of a sense of compulsion. The Apostle Paul encourages us to give what we feel moved by the Lord to give but to let go of what we are giving completely – joyfully – because our bitterness in giving begrudgingly spoils the sacrifice.
Being a cheerful giver necessitates a pure heart of surrender – which can be accomplished only when we love the Lord and realize that everything we receive comes from Him. We can cheerfully give to others when we realize we are simply returning to God a small portion of all He has given us. So be obedient to the command to give your tithes and offerings but make sure your heart and mind are right before you come to the altar.
Today’s Bible verses
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
EVENING READING: REVELATION 18
“Babylon the great is fallen.” – Revelation 18:2
This chapter is taken up with the fall of the “Great Babylon.” The picture portrayed is vivid.
The great city decked like a queen with rich apparel; a monument of earthly achievement; and yet a cesspool of sinful corruption. This city, many years in building and development, is pictured here in destruction. Indeed, total destruction – the judgment of one single day.
How like the house that was built upon the sinking sands of time! How futile to build for time! It is only the enjoyment of a mere season. How the merchants and lovers of this city weep, cry, and mourn the fate of their much-loved city!
Thank You, Lord, for that city not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens, and reserved for me.[1]
—————————more tomorrow————————
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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