Stop Fighting with Lies: Rest in the Truth

I was spending too much time fighting with lies.

That was why I was going  around and around in frustration. I kept trying to figure out what I did or needed to do in order to put away sentiments of anger of frustration in my life.

The sense of fear and panic in my life was so great, and the chronic fears would creep up into my mind:

"What are you going to do about this? What about that? What if they found out what you said or thought, or did?"

All of that anxiety and frustration is answered in one word: Jesus.

He died on the Cross, He took away all our sins, and He gave us His Life.

For the longest time, I was convinced that there was something more that I needed to be doing.

There was so much turmoil in my mind, in my body. Why the wrestling? Why the struggling?

Because I was trying to reconcile two opinions which were in never-ending conflict, typified in the womb of Rebekah:

"22And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.

23And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger." (Genesis 25:22-23)

 

Or how about:

 

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word." (1 Kings 18: 21)

 

We need to stop wavering on what God has spoken to us in His Word, no longer being tossed about by every wind and wave of doctrine (Ephesians 4: 14)

 

Oftentimes, we identify with the truth of God's Word, that by grace we are saved through faith, yet many times we want to retreat to our flesh, our efforts, ourselves.

 

We are convinced that we can add something to all that Jesus did at the Cross for us. Yet there is nothing more than for us to believe, and there is nothing else which we can do:

 

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)

 

We have God's Word for all things. If we struggle with believing anything that He has declared to us, it is only because we are trying to believe something else, and whatever that "something else" is, we must get rid of it:

 

"28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

 

30Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." (Galatians 4: 28-30)

 

and also

 

"

10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

 

Notice in Hebrews 8: 13 -- "That which is old decays and goes away."

 

So, stop holding onto the lies of the past, the Old Covenant which had its place, yet no longer plays a role in our lives, for He is our life (Colossians 3: 1-4)

 

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

 

That is the work, which cut down the "works" which the Israelites of Jesus' day wanted to know about and do.

 

The problem in the Body of Christ today, as I see it and as many have shared, is that we are too busy working, doing, trying to fulfill. In churches and pulpits, as well as everywhere else, the pressure for us to do something, or something more, reigns supreme, when Jesus is asking us to resign all things to His hands (1 Peter 5: 6-7), and to let us reign in life with Him (Romans 5: 17)

Why did I feel bad? Why was I so easily angry? Simply put: I was not aware of the truth, I was not walking in the truth that in Christ, all my sins are forgiven, and I am dead to sin (Romans 6:11-14)

There is no need to fight with pain and hurt, or to fear that I would well up into pain and suffering again. I know the truth who sets me free today.

Bringing Lies Down in the Face of the Truth

I had spent so much time running away from feeling bad.

Life is not about wonder why we feel bad.

We feel bad only because we do not believe the truth.

Lo and behold, I had been lied to for a long, long time about many things.

Far too often, we associate the truth with the authorities in our lives.

If our parents told us something, or anything, we are inclined to take those comments seriously, even if they are not true.

We have to understand today that truth is not subject to time or space, to blood lines or life lines.

Truth is based on one person: Jesus.

Not what someone tells us of Him, but what His Word reveals about Him.

It could not be any simpler.

Yet for the longest time, I was convinced that if I had negative thoughts or feelings, then I was dead-set responsible to do something about what I was feeling, to get rid of those bad feelings, so that they would not trouble me any further.

That is not the life that we are called to accept.

We are called to walk in the truth, and accept nothing which rises up against that truth of who He is and what He has done:

"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)

Notice that Paul writes about the obedience of Christ, not our obedience, but His.

And what is His obedience?

8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 5: 8-10)

He suffered for our sins, our sickness, our sorrows, for everything. He was perfected, in that He completed the work and rose from the dead. Today, He is our High Priest, and He is justifying us at the right hand of God the Father now and forger (Romans 8: 31-32)

We need to see Him, and He transforms us to be like Him:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

and then

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)

Not looking at ourselves, but Himself. Not fighting with the lies, but resting in the truth: that is what this life is all about!

Eternal Consequence of Jesus' Work

Thank You, Jesus, for the ministry of Bob George.

He explained to me and many others the importance of understanding the eternal consequences of Jesus' Finished Work at the Cross.

All my sins are forgiven and paid for, because all of my sins were in the future when Jesus died on the Cross.

He put aside all my sins.

The eternal consequences of this revelation cannot be ignored.

When we understand the fullness of what Jesus has done, that it has eternal significance, that no matter what happens, His grace cannot be stopped: we find ourselves reigning in life:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (Romans 5: 15-17)

Jesus came that we would have life and that more abundantly, too (John 10: 10)

Notice that this life is not qualified by us, but by Himself:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14: 6)

He did not come to make our life better, but to give us Himself, His life.

We cannot have His life without understanding the full consequences of His death.

He died for all sins, ours and the entire world. He is the propitiation who has finished the work for all time:

"1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 1-2)

and also

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

All our sins. Now, modern day skeptics challenge the notion that Jesus died for all our sins for all time. "How could He have died for my future sins?" Answer this rebuttal with a question: "Where were your sins when Jesus died on the Cross?" They were all in the future.

When we understand the eternal consequences of Jesus' work at the Cross, then we can understand why He grants us eternal life:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

This life comes from Himself:

"I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly" (John 10: 10). . ."I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14: 6)

Now, sin creates death:

"
The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin." (Proverbs 10: 16)

and

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 23)

We must live in the New Testament dispensation. Life is a gift which God our Father has given us, and we receive this gift because of His righteousness (He became sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ: 2 Corinthians 5: 21)

This righteousness is a never-ending gift, because His blood never stop cleansing:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 John 1: 7)

We need to understand the eternal consequence of what Jesus' did, and what His blood does, so that we can receive and keep receiving His life in us!

The problem today is not just that people have a poor knowledge of God's Word, but they have too much knowledge of things which are not true, mixed in with all that they have been taught.

I have faced this problem head on recently in my life, but Jesus had warned about this, even during His earthly ministry:

"5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." (Matthew 16: 5-12)

Paul also told New Testament believers to watch out for the leaven of men's doctrines and perversions:

"Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" (1 Corinthians 5: 6)

and also

"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (Galatians 5: 9)

The Master's Work needs no additions. The blood of Jesus accomplishes a perfect work, and speaks better things than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12: 24)

Not only has Jesus' Work at the Cross done a perfect work, the blood is still working, and nothing can take that away. We need to rest in His Work, to grow in grace, and to see that Jesus has taken care of and continues to take care of all things (Romans 8: 31-32)

Not Achieving, but Receiving!

Another despicable aspect of the AA cult -- that we must keep trying to make ourselves OK with God.

That is wrong.

We are already made acceptable, even gracious before God:

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)

If we do not feel strong, or if we feel condemned, the answer is not for us to do something but for us to keep receiving the truth of God's grace and righteousness given to us in abundance:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

For the longest time, I have been trying to make myself better. If I was feeling bad, or thinking bad, I was so obsessed with correcting the mistakes. I was obsessed with fixing my thoughts.

Today, I recognize not only that I have been forgiven of all my sins, but that I am called to receive more of the grace of God in my life.

This life is not about not sinning, this life is not about my trying, my efforts. This life is His Life in you and  me, which we receive, and keep receiving from Jesus!

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

and also

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Galatians 2: 20-21)

and also

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

We need to recognize that He is our life. It is not our life, nor is it a life we are trying to generate on our own.

This has been a hard saying for me. This is not a life about being better, but about Him making us better:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

Receiving, not achieving, that is what it is all about!

Solution to a Lonely Heart

The solution to a lonely heart is not getting together with other people.

In fact, meeting with others, hanging out with them and then sensing the loneliness, will not help matters.

It only makes things worse, because the frustration is still there.

I know, because I have been there, as have many people.

The solution to a lonely heart is to know that you are cared for.

That Someone (notice the Big "S") cares for you.

"6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

He does not stop caring for us, just because we sin.

He paid for all our sins forever!

The solution to a lonely heart is to know that He is not leaving us, nor every will.

It is to know that He is for us, even when we are not for Him (all the time).

He is Not Going Anywhere

Someone had tried to comfort me with the truth:

"5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13: 5)

Today, I was meditating on this verse, and behold, the preacher on TV was talking about this verse, too.

The next question finally came to me: why have I not believed this?

Because I was going by my feelings. I was going by my thoughts, and determining that what I felt or believed determined whether he was with me or not.

I was not believing the truth.

We cannot accommodate these frauds in our lives.

You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

This was the truth which I had not known as true.

The physical pain because of the thoughts and feelings that I was trying to block, had created so much pain.

When we rest on truth, though, it will not matter what we feel, because the perfect love of God casts out the fears, and puts away all frauds.

Where did this lie come from, by the way?. . .

It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die. (AA, pg 66)

That statement is a flat out lie. How we feel is a manifestation of what we are thinking.

If we believe that how we feel is going to block us from God our Loving Father, then we are not walking in the truth. (3 John 2-4)

It could not be any simpler.

It does not matter how we feel, at all:

"37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 37-39)

So, I was once again asking myself today -- why did I not believe this?

Because of the garbage which I had been taught as a youth.

Now more than ever, I have begun to understand. What I needed was not a greater revelation of Jesus only, but also to get rid of the lies and frauds which I had been taught as a kid.

It's not the things you don't know that hurt you. It's the things you know that ain't so.

And that is the way it is:

"Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." (Galatisn 4: 30)

Notice "what says the Scripture?", not "what does your mother say?" or "what does the preacher say?" or "what do you say?" (and certainly not "How does Bill see it?"

What does the Bible say, and what does the Gospel reveal:

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39)

For the longest time, I was so frightened and worried about how I felt. I was guided by the stupid feelings, rather than resting in the truth of what Jesus says  (not just "said" but says!- about me and you!)

That is a lie, and that lie is defeated in the truth of God's Word!

For so long, I was reading the Bible just to feel better. Now I know better, and I read the Bible to know Him better and keep receiving His favor.

I also realize that he is not going anywhere, and the lie that how I feel determines whether He is there or not, well, it's just not there anymore!

I Need to Know a Savior Who Is Alive

I was talking with a friend of mine last night (Christmas Night!)

I was telling him that there is no talk about Jesus who is alive.

He is living in us.

We celebrate His birth, we celebrate His death, but we do celebrate His Life, for He lives in us today!

He ministers on our behalf forever, too!

This is the part which I have been trying to see more of.

He is living and caring for us in every way.

This has taken me a long time to understand, but that is what growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord is really all about!

The reason why so many people are lonely, too, is that they do not see this Savior who is alive for us.

They do not know that, they do not know Him.

Today, I am learning more about Him, and I am not running away!

Focusing on His Righteousness, not Our Actions

The chastening of our Lord is not easy.

And it is not about punishing us for not doing enough.

Following a set of rules, and doing more or less, all of this appeals to us.

We live in a world drowning with suggestions, tips, commandments.

Jesus invites us to receive Himself and His caring:

"28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

and then

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

For so long, I have spent my time looking at my thoughts and feeling, convinced that how I felt or what I was thinking was blocking me from seeing and receiving more of Jesus in my life.

God does not ask us to fix ourselves, but rather to fix our eyes on Jesus:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

This is the harder struggle. So much in our lives, our prior experience tempts us to look at ourselves, to fix ourselves.

Yet even if we do, we should not despair, because Jesus is right there, in fact He is right here, guiding us and living in us.

He asks us to take His yoke, and let Him lead. Too many have turned this invitation into another work, but Jesus was not kidding when He said "My burden is easy, and my yoke is light."

When we see what He accomplished at the Cross, taking our sin, becoming son, and making us the righteousness of God in Him, then we are transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

We are not transformed by fixing ourselves, or looking at ourselves, but looking at all that Jesus is and has done for us:

"25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1: 25)

Now, many will read this and say: "Look at the Ten Commandments", but the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments, is a ministry of condemnation and death:

"4And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Corinthians 3: 4-6)

The letter kills, people. How can we have liberty if we are dead?

"7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious." (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)

So, what is James talking about?

A little translation adjustment will help. James actually writes about "The perfected law of liberty."

How was the law perfected, or completed? Through Jesus' death on the Cross:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." (Matthew 5: 17)

and

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

Jesus rendered the law inoperative against us because He fulfilled all of its demands:

"1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1-4)

In the passage above, we find the law that we look on, that we meditate on: the law of the spirit of life.

The Holy Spirit now lives in us and guides us:

"4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7:4-6)

and also

"20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2: 20)

and also

"27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)

As we focus on Himself, and receive His righteousness and grace, we reign in life, and the sins, hurts, bad habits, addictions do not.

Not by trying to remove the bad in our lives, but receiving the better what He has given us.

The Truth of Grace is All that Matters

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 32)

Grace and truth are connected as one whole in the New Testament, and both are united in Christ:

"The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

Instead of fighting with the lies and frustrations we face with people who want to fight with us, our goal should be to know more about Jesus, to see Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2: 14-15)

Instead of looking for points of division and conflict, we seek unity, but not in ourselves. We do not seek consensus based on what we believe, but rather who we believe in.

I used to get upset with preachers because of the people they were hanging out with, or the statements would make. I was so quick to reject people because they held views which were not in line with the Bible.

Today, I realize that I can rest in the truth of God's grace, and anything which is not of the truth diminishes God's goodness and in some way augments what we must do.

Maturity is based on unity in Christ, not conformity to any cause in order to avoid conflict:

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4: 1-5)

In the next part of Ephesians Four, Paul takes about growing in to the Head, which is Christ. It is all about Jesus, and seeing all that He is.

"4That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4: 14-16)

Grace and truth are met in Christ. We cannot understand grace without seeing the truth, and we know the truth when we see Jesus:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

and also

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Instead of looking for points of disagreement, we must seek to see more of Jesus. He is real, He is alive, and He is looking for as many ways to reach out and let us allow Him to care for us.

Anything which diminishes the grace of God, and expounds what we must do, we must reject. We are not called to trust in ourselves, but to walk in His Spirit. We are not called to understand ourselves, but receive more of Himself in our daily walk.

Grace, not Force

What is it about worrying which takes over so many of us?

We think that with all our fretting, we are actually accomplishing something.

The truth is that we think that we must do something, because we do not believe that God is doing something for us, or that He is working behind the scenes taking care of everything on our behalf.

Such is the result of living with the idea that God is based on our conception of Him, rather than resting in the truth that He is taking care of all things for us.

The above revelation has been very difficult for me, since for so long I have grown accustomed to forcing everything to fall into place.

I am since then learning so much about the grace of God, and how His favor opens more doors than my labor or the fears and fervors of men.

This has been so difficult for me to accept, yet we must recognize that in the Beginning, God created. . .everything, then planned our redemption before man fell:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" (Ephesians 1: 4)

and

"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," (1 Peter 1: 20)

and also

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13: 8)

We do not need our efforts, but we need to see His efforts at work in our lives:

"27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 27-29)

He is working in you and me (Philippians 2: 12-13). We are not trying to conjure Him up, and we should never succumb to sense of aloneness in our situations:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

and also

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2: 12)

It's about the grace of God working in our lives, which we receive because of Jesus!

God is About Giving Us Something Better

"38And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 40So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot." (2 Kings 4: 38-41)

In this passage, we see Elisha, a picture of Jesus our Savior, providing something more to the sons of the prophets, men who were training to be like Elisha.

Notice that Elisha commanded them to prepare something to eat. Then they tried to improve on what the Master had already prepared, a picture of men and women adding something to the Good News.

How did Elisha fix the food which they had poisoned? He put something more into the pot. He added something better: meal, or flour.

This flour is picture of Jesus and His Finished Work, which he accomplished for us and we can rejoice in through the Holy Communion. The first mention of meal (Genesis 18: 6), plus the references to the fine flour in Leviticus (1-2), speak of all that Jesus has done for us.

So, what do we draw from this passage?

Growing in grace is not about avoiding bad things. Growing in grace is not about removing bad things from our lives.

Life is about receiving something better in Christ.

We are called to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18).

We are transformed from glory to glory by looking at Jesus, too (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

I just noticed again that the two verses above are based on 3 and 18.

For now, I want to focus on this revelation: God does not improve us by taking something away.

He causes us to grow by giving us more of Himself:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 15-17)

We are called to receive and keep receiving the gift of righteousness and abundance of grace.

The first thing I want to do is fix myself.

The first thing He asks us to do is. . .fix our eyes on Himself.

God is all about us giving us something better, which we receive through Him:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? " (Romans 8: 31-32)

How shall He not freely give us all things with Him?

Now, I am also realizing this part, too. I have spent so much time fighting against what is not true. It is so tempting to fight with the lies. It is much easier to know the truth, for the truth shall make you and me free (John 8: 31-32)

I do not have to put out the lies, when I can just receive the truth.

God is all about giving us something better. He gave us the best in His Son, and there is so much we can receive from Him today.

AA is like the bad gourds, or the wild (literally "shiny") herbs. It seems like a good idea, as though all that Jesus has done is great, but we can add something else to make it better.

Wrong and wrong again. To bring anything of our part to what Jesus did for us, is to adulterated the grace of God:

"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11: 6)

God gives us better when we make something worse. We add nothing, because we cannot improve when He makes is better.

Shame is a Lie from Satan

Alcoholics Anonymous is a brilliant, yet evil cult.

Teaching people to identify with something shameful ensures that individual will remain dependent and feeble in their lives, unable to stand up for themselves, putting up with all kinds of abuse.

If you are an alcoholic, then you will behave like one.

Where does anyone get the idea that we break free of shameful habits by identifying with them?

What does Paul say to the Corinthians, who still were living in sin?

"15Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6: 15-17)

Know you not? Know you not?

Don't you know who you are? You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Why would you abuse your body?

Then:

"18Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6: 18-20)


We are called to identify with the truth of Christ living in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)

We are no longer in dead Adam, but alive in Christ Jesus. We have received Himself, and because we live in Him, free from condemnation (Romans 8:1 )

Because there is no condemnation in Christ, we bring every thought into captivity to Christ Jesus, (2 Corinthians 10: 5), which indicates that we are free of the law of sin and death, and now living by the law of the Spirit of life!

Shame is a lie from Satan, and because Jesus has fulfilled the law for us, we are free from condemnation, and called to reign in life in His Son (Romans 5:15-17)

He is Our Life (Not My Efforts)

Why was I so frustrated with what I was thinking and feeling?

Because I had believed that what I was thinking or feeling determined whether God was living and working in my life, or not.

Hence, the deep-rooted frustration and pain with fearing whatever I was thinking or feeling.

The sense that His presence would come or go depending on what I was thinking or feeling was just too painful to put into words.

Such bondage was the result of believing a lie.

For so long, I was caught up in trying to fix myself, rather than fixing my eyes on Himself.

Today, that is all different.

I had no idea that He is alive, and that He is living in me.

It is not my job to make Him do His job.

He is already at work, taking care of me. This is all wonderful to learn about it.

Every time there was a premonition of fear or panic, I now simply respond with: Lie!

If it's a lie, then there is no reason to tangle and fight about it.

There is a new life which I am recognizing within me, and the Law of the Spirit of Life is quickening me to follow him.

For so long,  I was caught up in trying to guard my thoughts, my feelings, myself. Instead of resting in the truth of everything which Christ Jesus is, I was walking around in bondage to some deep, penetrating lies.

There is no room for adding anything else to a perfect work which Jesus Finished at the Cross.

That includes AA, and thus another reason why I am avoiding many churches at this time.

He is our Life, and this is not something which we conjure up in our lives through strenuous efforts. It's not believing something long and hard enough, but resting in the truth of all that Jesus is.

Set Free Some More

We need to hear the Truth of the Gospel, and keeping hearing it.

I have spent so much of my time reacting to how I felt.

I was so busy dealing with my feelings.

We need to know the truth, and the truth sets us free.

This life is not about feeling better, but seeing  more of Him.

For the longest time, I was deeply caught up in trying to feel better.

There was pain and fear in my life for so long.

We are not called to be in the business of making ourselves feel better.

We are called to believe the truth that sets us free.

Our negative thinking, or negative feelings merely reflect a backward or incomplete knowledge of the truth, pure and simple.

For the longest time,  I was focusing on how I felt, and trying to fix that.

Wow, I was so wrong.

"2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 2-4)

We need to walk in the truth of the Gospel, that in Christ all our sins are forgiven, and that we have entered into a New Covenant because of the blood of Jesus and His High Priesthood forever.

I have spent my whole life feeling bad about what I was thinking, when the reality is simply to believe the truth, and not condemn ourselves for not believing the truth.

We have nothing to be ashamed of, because there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)

Why People Made Me Feel Bad

I find that there are certain people I tend to avoid.

One person called it "intimidation". Others might call it "fear".

Now I know what to call it: shame.

People shame us from time to time, they make us feel bad about doing something wrong.

Shame has been a hard thing to push away. A sense of pain is strong in the back of our minds, a sense of wrong-doing, that someone has to pay for what we have done.

Yet that Cross provides that very relief, and we are called to receive and keep receiving that relief:

"28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Shame is a terrible teacher. Condemnation ensures that individuals will continue engaging in the same bad behavior.

Jesus preached grace to the woman caught in the act of adultery:

"10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8: 10-11)

I have to stress that Jesus did not arbitrarily forgive her. The same phrase "lifted up himself" is the same verb to describe what Moses did with the bronzed serpent, and what Jesus would become for all the world:

"Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me. 33This he said, signifying what death he should die." (John 12: 31-33)

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29). He took our sins away, and therefore He could preach to the woman in adultery, and Paul writes to us in Romans:

"1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8: 1)

Now, for the longest time, I would feel bad, and then I would automatically think - what did I do to feel bad? What did I do wrong?

The fact is, that question does not matter. What we did does not matter. What Jesus did, that is what matters. People need to stop looking at themselves, and start looking at Jesus, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

People will make you feel bad if you let them, and oftentimes we let people make us feel bad because we do not understand the fullness of all that Jesus has done for us. There is no shame at all, and we are not supposed to give it any credence or attention, just as Jesus did:

"Looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12: 2)

People cannot make us feel bad. We may think badly in response to how people treat us, or we can scorn the shame and keep receiving His grace. Today, I choose the latter.

We understand that He took all our sin, and His blood has eternal consequences, ever-cleansing us (1 John 1:7)

The Essense of AA: Shame

What makes AA work so well, in spite of the fact that it is an evil cult inflicting great harm on people?

The program is based on shame.

Making people feel bad about themselves, and fearful at all times that God will be angry at them and not want to talk to them.

There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1), but outside of Him, we are susceptible to all kinds of shame and dishonor.

He took our shame, he took our wrongdoing, and in its place we receive His glory, we receive His righteousness.

That and so much more took place at the Cross.

To this day, there are wicked people who want to minimize the Cross, and maximize man's efforts.

This is evil.

Alcoholics Anonymous wants to teach people to see themselves as filthy and dirty alcoholics, men and women who are unable to think for themselves, who end up turning themselves over to some God, or rather the projection of another individual's inner deity.

Such was my life, and I fear that this conflict defines the lives of many people who have grown under the frauds and deceptions of Alcoholics Anonymous.

For  years, I was taught to see myself as "A flea, a dog, a worm."

Yet what did God the Father do for us through His Son:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 3-6)

I was raised to believe that if I thought highly of myself, or regarded myself well, then it would inflate my ego.

Yet we cannot compete with what God our Father has done for us, nor can we run away from the truth that we are nothing without Him. We did not make ourselves, yet He has made us for all things, because He is good, not us. Because He is lovely, not because we are loveable in and of ourselves.

"3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 

4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

 

5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." (Psalm 100: 3-5)

 

I do not want my conception of God. Not at all! I want to know more about the Good LORD revealed in the Word of God!

 

So, the essence of AA, of all man-centered cults, is to induct people into a false identity,  and to fill them with a sense of shame and self-loathing. We hate ourselves because of the sin in our lives, the failures in our behavior and our thinking.

 

The cult teaches people to try to stay one step ahead of our sin.

 

The Bible teaches that Jesus paid for all our sins, and for sin in our flesh, and that His blood continues to cleanse us from all our sins:

 

"2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 2-4)

 

and

 

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

 

and

 

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

 

There is no more shame, there is no more condemnation in Christ Jesus:

 

"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more." (Isaiah 54: 4)

 

and

 

"And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more." (Ezekiel 34: 29)

 

and

 

"11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2: 11-14)

 

We are redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3: 13), and the condemnation of our sin, because Jesus has taken it all for us.

 

There is no need for us to feel shame, and in fact we must rest in the Truth of God's Grace, that all of our sins are paid for forever. There is no more shame.

The Truth Matters

The truth matters.

No one gets to claim: "Everyone has their own truth."

That's a different story when the operator cutting you open suddenly admits that he is not a doctor, and is actually afraid of blood.

The truth matters, because when we know the truth, then the truth sets us free.

The truth, as revealed in the Bible, is all about Jesus, full of grace and truth (John 1: 14)

Throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament to the final words of Revelation, grace and truth is one, a unified whole which cannot be separated.

"The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came (has come) by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

We cannot talk about the grace of God without the truth. They are inseparable.

Truth matters, and we cannot run away from the clear cut expectation that either something is in place, or it is not.

While men can play in their minds with multiple realities, and accept two contradictory principles in their mind, the truth is that the pain of holding to irreconcilable revelations in our minds creates pain, conflict, and can lead to death.

The truth matters, because it is a matter of life and death.

This fact is not open for debate.

There can be no debate if there is no qualified acceptance that a proposition is true, or it is not true. A sense of outrage takes over us when someone lies to us, and that upset surges for a reason.

The truth matters. We are living in living world, even if decay and dysfunction defines it.

The truth matters, because our souls, our minds, our spirits were designed for it, and we will not settle for anything less.

When we know the truth, we are set free (John  8: 32)

The Truth is a person, a bold individual who stood up and declared to His disciples:

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." (John 14: 6)

The truth is the middle element which unifies the Way and the Life. The truth is the means by which we find the Way, and we have Life.

The truth, what is, the Gospel which speaks of full justification in Christ apart from our works, cannot be adulterated, balanced, or mitigated with anything else. Either we believe the testimony or Jesus, or we don't.

Balance and moderation are not the primary characteristics which matter. The truth matters, regardless of whether the statements are conflicted, controversial, or a matter of consensus. Balance and moderation are gaining all the traction and spotlight, as though balancing or mixing the diverse opinions is the best route to peace and freedom.

No. The truth shall set you free. You are saved by grace, which we receive by faith.

The truth matters, and the truth is not open for debate.

No More Buts -- Just Believe

The problem for us is not the believing, but all the added-on doing, doubting, and disputing which we bring to the discussion.

We have what our parents taught us, and what the Word of God teaches us.

We have what the world tells us, and we have what the Holy Spirit tells us.

We have the testimony of a hurried, busy world which declares: "It's not finished."

And we have Jesus, who declared: "It is Finished."

You and I today have a choice.

We can rest in the truth of all that Jesus has done and is doing.

Or we can step around the truth, and keep not believing.

I would read the scriptures, I would meditate on the Word, and yet in the back of the head, I would hear: "But what about . . .? What if? But. . .But. . . But."

There had been so many buts in my life.

There is not but against what Jesus says about us.

There is disputing what the Bible makes diligently clear to us.

We are not called to "But", but to believe.

That's it!

Emotions Flag Our Thinking

So many of us spend more time thinking about what we are feeling.

We want to feel better, we want God to take away our problems, take away our pain.

The truth is, that we need the truth.

We need to remove the errors and lies in our lives, and invite the truth of Christ and Him Crucified to enlighten our understanding.

I had started saying this to friends of mine, but now the statement stands out even more:

"I don't want to feel better. I want to know the truth."

I had shared this during a very difficult and emotional moment in June. There was so much pain, so much pressure, and I had believed that all of these responsibilities were falling on me.

I had so many negative concerns, bad thoughts, burdened emotions.

What if? What about? bounced around in my mind.

Then when I recognized that Jesus is holding this world together, regardless of what I feel, then all the pain went away.

That was more of the truth which sets me free. We are not on good or bad standing with our father depending on how we feel or what we think.

Any fears or concerns are pushed away with the truth.

Any feelings of upset and pain come from the lie that those concerns have to be answered.

No, they do not need to be answered, because they have been answered.

I noticed today that individuals would snap at me for things that I did or did not do. I did find myself getting upset.

But then I recognized what I was thinking, and the thoughts that had ministered those feelings began to make sense.

I realized that I was thinking that I had to do something about the disrespect.

Then I realized the truth of God's Word, and the fullness of all  that He is. "Vengeance is mine". I do not have to reward the wrong-doing of others.

Yet why did I hesitate to take God at His Word in the first place?

Because the god that I was learning about was not the god in the Bible. Everything was mixed up with the false teachings of AA, versus the full and forever forgiveness of the Gospel of Grace.

While AA teaches us that we must watch out for our bad feelings, and confess our bad thoughts and sins to other people, the Word of God provides us with the proper renewal of our minds, brings us into oneness with the truth of who we are in Christ.

Our upsets, hurts, anger, bitterness, cannot separate us from the love of God, for nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8: 38-39)

Why did I struggle to believe this? Because the law is not of faith, nor is any other tenet based on our efforts instead of His Work.

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1: 8)

James provided the answer to this double-mindedness, which speaks of trying to live under both covenants:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4: 8)

How do we purify our hearts? We believe on Jesus and what He has done for us:

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" (1 Peter 1: 22)

Then we grow into maturity, trusting Christ Jesus for all things:

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" (Ephesians 4: 14-15)

The debate ends right there. We no longer go back and forth in our minds about the truth because of our feelings. We rest in Him, trusting that He is our peace (Isaiah 26: 3; Ephesians 2: 10)

We do not go back and forth in our minds trying to figure out whether we are OK with God based on our feelings. One of the biggest lies I had to overcome, was that my feelings had nothing to do with who I am before God. Yet because of the mind-control of the AA cult, I was in bondage to what was going through my head.

If there is any fear or tremor or upset in my life, all of it comes from believing a lie. Our bitter or toxic emotions will reveal to us that we are believing something that is not true.

Source of Pain: Truth and Error

We cannot believe what is true, and then hold onto what is not true at the same time.

We cannot believe that we are forgiven all of our sins, then turn around and confess our sins in the hopes that God will forgive us.

All of this activity on our part makes no sense whatsoever.

I had wrestled with a great deal of this when I was younger.

I never understood why I had to confess my sins in order to be forgiven, if I had been forgiven of all my sins because of what Jesus did for me at the Cross.

The pain for a great deal of my life, then, was resolving in my mind two different accounts.

I was forgiven, yet I had to be forgiven.

God is taking care of all my needs, yet I have to do my part.

What?

For the last week, I have started to understand to a greater extent the pain and hurt.

I was believing two things at once.

I was surrounded by people who either told me that I could believe whatever I wanted to do, or that I had to work Twelve Steps.

All of this is totally wrong.

It really frustrates me, it really angers me to find that many parents are not training their children in the way to go.

What does the Bible say?

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22: 6)

The impetus of this verse speaks more to what a child does, but who a child is. "Train" can also mean "dedicate". Parents are called to dedicated their children to the Word of God, not the meandering pandering of men. Twelve Step programs are all about man focusing on himself.

There is no life or hope there.

We need life in another. We life need in Himself.

This is the truth of God's Word. We do not vacillate between truth and error, but we rest in the truth of God's grace, and we stop playing "Yeah, but" with all that Jesus has done for us.

"13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" (Ephesians 4: 13-14)

If the Bible says: "I will be a God to you" (Hebrews 8: 10-12), then it's time for us to take God at His Word.

Why do we not take God at His Word/ Because we are trying to reconcile two accounts, which are fully opposed to each other. Either we believe that Jesus died for us, or He did not. Either He is our Savior, or He is not, and thus we seek/attain salvation through someone else.

Reject the Lies, Rest in the Truth

Fear really is based on "False Evidence Appearing Real."

If we believe something that is not true, then we will be afraid.

Instead of trying to fix our feelings, however, we need to deal with what we are believing.

We have to focus on what we are thinking.

The AA cult teaches people to focus on their feelings. This program really is mind control at its worst.

The last thing that we need to  believe is that our feelings are as arbitrary as the weather. No wonder so many people find themselves in terrible bondage.

What we think and feel may come and go, but who we are in Christ Jesus is based on different matters entirely.

We are called to renew our minds to the truth of God's Word, not rest on the fraud and deceit of the enemy, nor the opinions of men.

Belief is not about believing something long enough and hard enough, either. Faith is about resting in the truth, an intelligent submission to what is real, what God has declared about us. Not our feelings, not our thoughts, nor our inferences based on past experiences or present difficulties.

When you believe that your feelings block you from God, what happens? You spend time going around in circles trying to put out bad feelings. No, the answer is to rest in the truth of God's Word.

Instead of returning to what man thinks of us, let us rest in the truth of all that God says about us. Today, He sees us in Christ, and therefore we declare:

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Because as He us so are we in this world!" (1 John 4: 17)

His Mind, Not Yours

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2: 16)

I am not interested any more in my thoughts on any matter.

Let us rather be interested in what God thinks of us. Let us be mindful of what Jesus has done for us.

I was so caught up on thinking that I had to know what was going on from day to day.

We are not called to figure everything out.

We are not called to have the world mapped out, or our days figured out.

Why would we? He has all our times in His hands.

So, we now understand what faith is really all about. It's about seeing Him who has been from the beginning.

It's not about us, not what is on our minds. It's about Him, and He has nothing but good things in mind for us.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."" (Jeremiah 29: 11)

Now, God spoke these words through His prophet Jeremiah after the Israelites had rejected His grace and relied on the sacrifices of other gods. Today, we have the blood of Jesus, and all the promises which accompany His perfect sacrifices.

We do not have to mind what we are thinking. We can rest in the mind of Christ, and know that He is teaching us all things, and taking care of all things for us.

The Sources of the Morning Struggles

We are too caught up in trying to fix our thinking.

We are too busy trying to feel good when God wants us to see how good He is.

We do not have to feel bad about feeling bad. We do not have to care about our feelings.

They merely register what we are thinking. Nothing more.

In the morning, sometimes the most negative assaults take over in my head.

The conflicts and frustrations then intercept, and sometimes I spend too much trying to undo or remove whatever it is that is on my mind.

There is no peace in that internal, fight.

We are not set free looking at ourselves. We are not set free trying to free ourselves.

Otherwise, we would have never been in bondage in the first place.

What were those fights all about, anyway?

I had believed that what I was thinking would determine whether God was there for me or not.

The ugly depths that a person will fall into fighting with his head -- those plunges are just staggering, and quite painful.

We are not set free through our efforts. We are released from bondage and pain by resting in the truth of all that Jesus has done for us.

This revelation is just wonderful.

For the longest time, I would take as truth whatever I was thinking or feeling, as though I had to take it seriously.

Bringing every thought into captivity to the Obedience of Christ: that is what it is all about. We do not submit to our minds, but rather our minds submit to Christ Jesus!

Cool!

This morning, and the mornings after, I can rest in the truth that He is taking care of all things for me. The falsehood of trying to take care of tomorrow has been put away forever. I am not responsible for tomorrow, because He has already taken are of it.

Not Fighting Bad Thoughts, But Believing Good Ones

Another element of the AA cult which is particularly disturbing rests on the notion that our fears and resentments require direct action, along with consultation with a sponsor.

We do not fight bad thoughts with will power or effort.

We fight bad thoughts, falsehoods, with the truth of God's Word.

This is the truth which sets us free.

Look at this passage from Philippians:

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Think on These Things

8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4: 6-9)

 

This passage had granted me great comfort at one period in my life.

 

Yet the fears and worries would still wash over me.

 

Why? Because I did not see Jesus as a loving Savior saving me today, as well as when He died on the Cross two thousand years ago.

 

Every time that I had fearful or angry thoughts, I believed that I had lost fellowship with God. I then believed that He was one thousand miles away. The truth is, His presence in our lives does not depend on us.

 

His life in us depends on Jesus, who gave His life for us:

 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

 

What did Jesus overcome in granting us eternal life?

 

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3: 17)

 

With this promise of no condemnation comes the fullness of the New Covenant:

 

"0For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

I am once again grateful for the ministry of Pastor Joseph Prince. He struggled with his thought life, struggling to control bad thoughts. The truth is, that we do not have to be ashamed of what we are thinking but rather recognize that every though is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)

 

The bondage for me for so long was that I had believed that what I felt would drive God away. It cannot drive Him away, for He has promised to be a God to us.

 

We do not struggle against bad thoughts with will power, but we meditate on His Word, and let the negatives subside.

 

I did not believe it for the longest time, but it's true: AA is mind control at its worst. Why? The program communicates the lie that we cannot control our thinking, that we are powerless over just about everything, and that we have to succumb to the negatives in our lives, our thoughts, our inner being, looking at ourselves while ignoring God who is above and outside of us.

The Waves of Pain Have Gone Away

I was trying to protect myself for the longest time.

Whenever I felt afraid, whenever a sense of panic welled up in the back of my head, I was convinced that I had to do something about.

Who God was, all of that was tied up in how I felt.

Crazy, but true.

The sense of pain that welled up in my head made it almost impossible to function.

I was trying to quell the sense of fear and pain within me.

This inexpressible burden was so great.

I did not see God as a living Savior. I had a conception in my mind about who God was.

I did not realize that He is alive and well, living in and through me.

Like many Christians, I was stuck on this notion that I had to create this life myself.

This pressure was so grand, so overwhelming.

The emptiness in my life was total. I had everything on the outside, but I was empty on the inside.

Such was the result of trying to create this life on my own. Then came the frustrations.

The lies in my head chronically pressed me. Everything was up to, I had believed.

The issue was thinking that I had to get rid of feeling in order to walk in God's power and might.

The truth is that God's power and might are readily present and available, regardless of how I may feel.

How sweet it is -- to be free at last from putting out every fire in my brain.

Thank you, Jesus, for the truth that sets me free.

We Have to Let Him Live!

I am so tired of hearing Christians saying over and over:

"You have to live it!"

Live what? We cannot live the Christian life.

No one can.

Man who is dead in his trespasses needs life.

This life we find in one Person: Jesus!

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5: 12)

For too long, our focus has been on behaving right. We need to believe on Him whom the Father sent for us: Jesus!

We live because of Jesus, not ourselves. Because He lives, we live, too!

Bringing Every Lie into Captivity

When we have bad thoughts about the future, people like me are convinced that we have to do something about them.

The Scriptures are very clear about who does what:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)

Our weapons are mighty through God, not through ourselves.

We do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4: 13), not through our own efforts.

Paul was not mincing words when he wrote: "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." (Galatians 5: 16)

For too many of us, including  me, the spirit seemed like a mindset. The Holy Spirit is a person, the blessed Third Person of the Trinity.

It is not our job to bring our thoughts into captivity in order for Him to live and work in us.

Sadly, though, that is exactly what I had believed for the longest time.

Every time a sentiment of fear emerges in the back of our minds, we need only consult the Word of God, and there we find the truth which sets us free!

He is My Protector

I was overactive in my mind.

I would project the worst to protect me from the worst.

I lived in constant fear of bad things happening to me.

It is amazing how vivid our imagination can be.,

We are not called to worship our thinking, but to renew our minds to the truth of God's Word:

"1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 1-2)

and

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (2 Corinthians 10: 5)

Jesus is my protector!

I did not know that/

I thought that I had to be  my own protector!

One of the best sermons I have heard in a long time goes like this:

"You were never meant to live life alone. You were meant to be a loved person, a cared-for person."

Why else did Paul pray for us to have a revelation of God's love for us!

When you read the AA book, however, there are these terrible undercurrents which feed a terrible lie -- I have to do my part so that God will do His part.

That is nonsense.

We have no part apart from Him.

Why did I believe that He was not watching out for me?

Because I was under bondage to the Old Covenant, convinced that how I felt and what I thought determined whether He was there for me or not.

Even a Christian brother tried to explain to me: "I will never leave you nor  forsake you." (Hebrews 13: 8)

Yet I did not believe that -- at the time.

Jesus is  my protector, today!

He is Bringing and Guarding, Not Us!

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 6-7)

God keeps our hearts and minds.

We don't.

It is not our job to do this.

I thought that it was, and for the longest time, in my mind, that is exactly what I had tried to do.

I have had a terrible time of letting go. For all the talk about "Let Go, Let God", I found that it simply did not work in my life.

The reason? We cannot let go if we do not believe that God is holding on for us.

If we think that every negative projection in our lives must be answered, then we can never trust Him.

And there you have the biggest reasons why I panicked at length in my life.

I was convinced that I had to answer every fearful premonition in my mind.

Never did I realize that they do not stop through our efforts.

What does the Bible say?

"12Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." (1 Peter 1: 12)

Then

"13Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Peter 1: 13-16)

We are not supposed to honor every fear and hurt. We do not give heed to the fretting and worrying in our minds, either. Every thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Like many people, I was given to the notion that I had to fight every thought. Every premonition of fear was something that I had to take care of.

That is not what the Bible teaches at all!

He guards our hearts and minds, not us. He brings every thought into captivity, not us.

Years ago, I had read that verse, and yet I felt no peace. I loved the idea of not worrying about anything, yet for some reason, I still felt agitated. "What do I do about this? What is my part?"

All of these questions never left my mind. The reason why?

Because I did not see Him as alive! I did not see Jesus beyond my head. I was still too big.

Like many Christians, I knew that Jesus died for me, but I did not know that He lives for  me!

He is bringing and guarding us, not we ourselves. He is taking care of all things, not us.