50 Days of Promises (11): Set Free

Posted on November 8, 2013 by George Crone

John 8:31-32

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

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I am hit yet again this morning with the critical distinction that Jesus is making here.

Notice here who His audience is. He is not speaking to the masses who are hanging around waiting for the next free meal, or rebuking a Pharisee who lays in opposition to Jesus’ authority, or a Roman emperor who is threatened by the rebellion Jesus is stirring up.

Jesus is speaking to the Jews who believes in Him.

So what is Jesus’ teaching for these acknowledged believers?

“If you abide in my word you are truly my disciples”

Oxford Dictionary
  verb
     accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation)

There are clearly two forces at work in the heart of every Christian. Paul speaks of his own battle between flesh and spirit, what he wants to do he cannot and what he doesn’t want to do he does.

Or the warning in Galatians 5 of the battle between evil and righteousness at war within and that any man living under two authorities “will not inherit the kingdom”.

These are bold warnings that our obedience matters.

But there must be a balance in our hearts.

For me, a recovering addict, Satan’s greatest tool is to use God’s word to condemn me, to always remind me how short I fall and in that I can never find peace, believe that I am truly set free.

Just as Jesus was tested first thing after being baptized and having the Holy Spirit descend upon Him for all to see, He used scripture to combat Satan’s temptations.

I believe we can take great joy in the promise of being set free by remaining confident in Jesus’ own words found John.

John 12:44-47

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 

The convictions in the heart of a person being sanctified by the blood of Christ is one that never looses sight of our sin and works out with mighty reverence for God a faith that aches for the transformation of heart to be one of Christ-likeness.

Our shared struggle to be like the Apostle Paul and be able to claim with confidence that “my conscious is clear”  I believe is the obedience God is looking for. 

We cannot address the failings of the heart which have not been revealed to us, but if you are anything like me, there is a smorgasbord of conscious sins that I wrestle with on a daily basis and rarely can I rest at night saying “my conscious is clear.

He knows that we will forever fall short in this body of flesh and in this broken world, but the one who perseveres in defiance of the flesh, the one who lives free and joyous and alive and thrives in spite of the darkness around us and shines the light of salvation for others to see, it is truly him who is set free.

The convictions of Christ are for our joy, not our suffering. To be set free is to strive for perfect adherence to the law but to temper that with the understanding that no matter how often we come up short, the cross covers the debt.

He is not looking for perfection, He is looking for the transformed heart that desires above all to walk in love, God’s definition of love. To love ALL others as ourselves, to follow Christ, to be a light on a hill, to live joyous and free because of who He is.

Our freedom transcends this life, our trials are only stepping stones to glory. There is no condemnation on those who believe, but true freedom comes from living free from resentments towards others, free from condemnation that comes from within, walking in the light, His light.

Father God, You set me free. Not because of anything I have done or earned or deserve or could even have dreamed up, but because You loved me in creation, you loved me as you walked the earth, You loved me as you went to the cross, You loved me as you ascended, You loved me through Your mercy when You rescued me from the deep depression and self-destructive ways, You love me now as Your word both presses on my heart to change my thoughts about others and myself and You love me by offering grace in those times that I don’t get it. You love me in the hope that you give me, in the ways that you guide my path, in the ways that you fill each day with blessings of food, water, shelter, transportation, Christ-centered friendships, the ability to praise and worship You in public without condemnation, in my freedom. You have set me free Lord and I am and will remain eternally grateful for as long as Your promise of renewal and redemption by Your blood and Spirit stays within me. I believe my faith is by Your grace alone Lord, I could not love You without You first loving me and giving me these desires, desires that are transforming my entire life. I pray that Your glory shine brightly through all those who call ourselves believers and may we be given the heart and hands and overwhelming desires to live as Your disciples, free and alive in You. Thank you Jesus, in Your precious name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (10): Eternal Victory

Posted on November 7, 2013 by George Crone

Revelations 21:7

7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

perseverance

There are two types of promises, one in which God is the only one who acts on our behalf (grace alone through faith alone) and those which are a promise “if” our partnership in Christ is made complete through obedience, endurance and perseverance (faith + works).

Both stand alone in truth and are biblically proclaimed in seemingly opposition to each other but in the totality of God’s word, they require each-other in their completeness. God alone saves us, but how we work out that salvation matters, God cares who we become in His name.

This verse alone is a beautiful promise of our son-ship to the Father, our chosen servant-hood to the King, our eternal bond with Christ and the immeasurable gift of the Holy Spirit within.

But in full context this promise comes with a caveat in the very next verse.

Revelations 21:8

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

We do not get the luxury of going on living as we did before Christ. His redemptive work on the cross was so we would pursue a completely new direction, not remain on our old worn and broken paths.

As I read this, I believe I have a growing faith that gets stronger as I pursue the face of God through His word, fellowship and praise through gathering with other believers, giving of my time and talents to others in need; but there is a sickness of the flesh that still prevails that can’t be ignored.

Times of lustful thoughts, or jealousy, resentments and judgment towards others and myself and I suspect on a really deep and elusive level that I’d rather not admit too, a resentment toward God that at times this seems too hard too endure, to great a calling, the burdensome a pursuit. At times I’d much rather just sit home and watch Seinfeld reruns.

Through a lifetime of fear, self medicating, and pursuing pleasures and wealth above all other pursuits I have developed patterns of pain, thoughts and behaviors that are against God, against others, and supremely self destructive under the vail of “the pursuit of wealth and happiness”.

If it feels good do it is an idiom the advertising agencies has sold to the world since the invention of electronic communications and pervasively is destroying our culture with more each day.

Get more, have more, chase more, conquer more, more more more……

It is those old beliefs and behaviors that I must come to terms with through recognition, repentance and ultimately surrender and change so that I become cheerfully and willfully filled with a desire to simply give more.

I believe what God is saying here is that we have a wonderful promise of eternity, but it would be deathly serious to miss the “but for those” warning in verse 9 and continually be testing our own hearts against it.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We can never affect the love of God, for it is His nature to love righteously and completely His entire creation unconditionally, He cannot love us any other way, He is pure love.

But that same love dictates that we be held accountable for our actions so that we learn and grow to be more like Him. In that there can be grave consequences if we give up the journey of sanctification set before us and become complacent, indifferent and tolerant of sin.

The Good News of Christ is very good, and the work of the cross is made complete by God alone, and I know this may be controversial, but I passionately believe today that our response to His finished work on the cross has eternal implications.

Salvation is an offer to the disobedient (pick up your cross and follow me). To not respond to the call of God through obedience to His precepts, designs and truth is to reject the very son-ship he promises.

To get married to a wife and then sit on the couch watching football all day, playing video games, go out drinking with the guys, yell at or disrespect our wife – that is not a marriage.

The marriage ceremony, the piece of paper from the courts, the words spoke by the pastor and the promises to love and protect, the vows made by tongue are useless if our behaviors do not reflect those revelations.

The same is true with Christianity; to not live out our love for God is to betray our baptism, our proclamation, even our works done with a bitter heart betray our self-decieved notion of being in relationship.

God will always hold up His side of the deal, it is our motives and behaviors that always beg to reveal… are we holding up our side?

How We Live Matters!

We must endure to the end, never forsaking His call to become the men and women of Christ. To walk with morality and values, to shine as a light on the hill reflecting the love of Christ to all we encounter.

We must press on to the time of glory when our works both inward and outward will be joyously joined with His works to create an eternal matrimony in the time of His return.

Our world needs bold warriors for Christ, not first and foremost with sword but in Spirit. Prayer warriors, truth warriors, love warriors.

To boldly draw the line in our own lives that says we will make those hard choices and cut the behaviors, people and beliefs out of our lives that keep us from the glory of being all God is calling us to be.

To protect the unprotected, love the unloved, encourage the hopeless, lift up the broken.

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, and He did not go to the cross so we could go on partying, cussing, hating, or being prideful, lustful, or resentful.

He is love, and He desires to fill us with His love. But we have to let Him in, we have to embrace all of His word and live in a manner that shows the world we are disciples of the One True God and not live a life that proclaims God is just window-dressing on our bookshelf.

We are called to be courageous and then great promises will be ours to claim along with the great promises He has already proclaimed on our behalf.

Father God thank You for who You are, what You have done, are doing, and promise is to come. None of our lives are anything without you, and everything with You and in You. You make all things new, and I surrender this day to the process of sanctification and thank You for the continuous bending of my heart toward you and away from childish things. It is difficult and sometimes painful Lord to leave the things of my life behind, my comfort, my security, my past walls erected to protect me from the world. But those were false idols and escapes which only separated me from You. Help me to surrender myself more each day Lord, I hear the call You have for those who know You to stand and be bold in this darkened and dying world. Let Your will reign supreme throughout creation and if You so choose open my eyes to the divine appointments that you place in my path this day. In Your Son’s precious name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (9): Brought Closer to God

Posted on November 6, 2013 by George Crone

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

God isThe concept of being far off is not hard for me to associate with.

Can you relate?

The time is now to draw near, trust in Him and He will guide our path

 

 

Father God, Your message is simple and clear, Your promises are true and real. You chose us, we did not choose You. Thank You for my new life, thank You for Your mercies which are renewed each day. Lead my heart and mind in Your way of unconditional love not only for You and others, but toward myself Lord, allow me to see myself as you see me. In Jesus’ name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (8): Established and Blameless

Posted on November 5, 2013 by George Crone

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I love how Paul always affirms the people he is writing about or the church he is writing too first and foremost.

Paul is thanking God for the entire church of Corinth because there is evidence they get it, through speech and the exhibit of knowledge that they understood the Glory which comes from knowing Christ Jesus.

And then the promise, a promise that He will keep us firm to the end so what we will be blameless on the day of Christ’s return. A promise of God’s faithfulness and reaffirming their (our) calling into fellowship with Jesus personally, both individually and as a whole in the body of Christ.

Those who can claim a rooted establishment in Christ, which is not to say perfect adherence to God’s commandments, but moreover a passion for Christ, can take great joy in this promise that we will not be forsaken, forgotten, or tossed aside like so many of us might have experienced in our family of origin.

A reflection point for me this morning is to ask, is Jesus becoming more real to me, taking on more human and God attributes each day as I yearn to learn more of Him through God’s word and then live that out?

Are we seeking to see more of Him through Christ-centered relationships?

It could be at church worship services or church sponsored life groups, or in Christ-centered recovery halls like Celebrate Recovery, or going even deeper through long-term recovery groups for specific battles like Pure Desire Ministries, or through like-minded people striving to learn and adhere to biblical truths taught by solid theological mentors in a bible-study or accountability meetings, prayer circles, and the list could go on.

As we grow in Christ and become more rooted in the faith, are we taking that out to others and sharing the Good News of what God has done, is doing, and the promises of what is to come for all who call Him Lord and Savior with those still struggling in the trenches?

God doesn’t promise easy, in fact many times He warns us of the hardship that befalls those who proudly and loudly proclaim that Jesus is Lord; especially in the culture we live in today. And sadly I only see that getting worse until the day of Christ when every knee will bow.

We as believers in Christ, being set free from our old addictions and selfish behaviors and learning of God’s unconditional love and mercy are on that grace-filled journey of redemption so we can then take His message of compassion, purpose and power to others, that there is an incredible hope for the future when that future is not reliant upon earthly things, but firmly rooted in spiritual things.

To be considered blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus (vs 9) is a wonderful promise. And to receive that promise we simply need to chase after the Christ personally, in our thoughts, through our prayers, in our studies, the way we treat others, the ways in which we spend our time, treasure and talents.

The battle to move from selfishness to selflessness is not an easy one, and people who have not yet come into that relationship with Christ might not understand, but it is a life filled with great hope and promise. which bears tangible fruits along the way.

Father God Your promise that once we come to know You and follow You that you will keep us until the return of Your Son is a promise of great comfort. I struggle with this journey of sanctification, of redemption, to become all that You predestined before time. I know that what I experienced as a child and what I have inflicted as an adult was not in Your design, but that IF I will continue to follow and praise you that You can and will redeem those years. Give me the heart, the courage, the boldness, the desires to partner with you in that process, to seek Your direction, rely on Your strength, and follow Your lead, then praise Your works at the end of the day. I thank You for this new day that will surely have divine opportunities to touch another’s life, if even in a small way, to say that there is great hope, love and peace that comes from being a recipient of grace and a servant of the most high God. I pray these things for myself and all who have ears to hear and eyes to see that one day Your glory will reign completely and forever. In Jesus’ name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (7): Adoption to Sonship

Posted on November 4, 2013 by George Crone

Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. .

A Daddys Lap

 

As a recovering addict, born again by the Blood of Christ, these promises or truths about what God has done are the very thing that is chipping away at my worldly-born beliefs of who I am and what I should feel. 

A lifetime of  trying to earn love; created from a childhood nearly completely devoid of authentic affection or emotional and physical security which put me on the path of self preservation, self reliance, self soothing, self purposing, and ultimately self destruction.

The only reason anyone “comes to Christ” is because God has chosen that person before the creation of the earth. (verse 4)

There are so many verses in the bible that Satan will use against me, to show me how short I fall from God’s glory and convict me of crimes that he and I both know I’m guilty of. Lust, idolatry, slothfulness, pridefulness, deceitfulness, resentments, jealousy; all things that everyone will battle on some level throughout our life. No matter how good we think we become, we can never reach the full potential of God’s intention for creation.

And that is  what makes the Good News so good! And what seems to me to be taking forever to sink deeply into my heart and belief system.

I am in Love with Christ, my life has been turned around because of Christ, I pray to Christ, I hunger to understand the teachings of Christ all because He chose me to be a part of Him, not because of anything I did in my life that made Him stand up and take notice.

Unconditional Love is a love that says “I love you because it’s in my nature to love and it is not dependent on your actions”.

Blessings may be a reward for good stewardship, but unconditional love is beyond anything the recipient can affect.

I think the true depths of Christ’s unconditional love for us goes so deep that it is beyond the grasp of mere human understanding. And it is that very love that is the healing salve that is melting away the (in my case) decades of walls and hardness built up against others including God.

It is so hard to trust. In fact family through forms of physical, emotional and sexual child abuse can be some of the most abusive and constant pain afflicters one may ever experience, so even the concept of being called a son may not be pleasant for some.

For me that has been much of my journey in the last few years, to continue to pursue a deeper understanding of God’s unconditional love, and to trust that His ways are better than mine and to each day strive to surrender more of my life, my ways, my understandings and live according to His teachings.

To be on that road of seeking God and not shying away from self discovery is to be on the journey of redemption.

To be willing to look my faults square on, give them to God, accept His grace, mercy and forgiveness over them, then become willing and where appropriate make amends and restitution to those I have hurt along the way, and offer forgiveness and grace and compassion to those who have hurt me; this is to be on the journey of redemption.

Those are not easy concepts, but they are the healing tools of a saved person living out a chosen sonship, chosen by a loving God filled with mercy, not a vengeful ruler waiting to convict, condemn and punish.

We are safe in the Fathers arms, for He first rescues us, then adopts us and in that we are complete, holy and blameless in His sight because of the work of His Son on the cross. Thank you Jesus!

For anyone who is in recovery, or is currently battling with addictions or hurts of any kind or may feel trapped in a cycle of relapse or doesn’t even know how to get started in recovery, I can’t recommend this short video enough.

No matter how many times I watch that I cannot keep from being overwhelmed with emotion. 

There is hope, there is a Healer, His name is Jesus, may you find Him now. 

Father God, that You would have mercy to take a wretch like me, one that was so lost and living only for my own pursuits, my own pleasures, my own security and safety, my own desires and take the time to care about me personally enough to love me where I am and show patience and mercy as I battle to love me even a tiny piece as much as you love me. You know my heart Lord, You know my spirit is whole in You but my fears and failures continue to make this road twisted and difficult. It is not because of Your lack of power over my shortcomings, but my stubbornness and blindness to surrender it ALL to You Lord. Help us all this day Father recognize just a little more clearly how far and wide Your love stretches to cover our sins, how completely and purely Your blood on the cross washes us clean, help us to experience the freedom that comes from a deep, intimate, and personal understanding that it is Your doing that we are holy and blameless in Your sight because of what You have done. That is a promise, a promise from You to us, the broken sinful world who has eyes that can see and a heart that longs to live as Your chosen, not just be hearers of Your word. Thank you God for the work of Your Son that paid the ultimate price for our salvation, may my life glorifies Yours this day and forevermore. In Jesus precious name I pray…

You can start your journey of redemption by attending a Celebrate Recovery group near you !
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50 Days of Promises (6): Generations Undone

Posted on October 31, 2013 by George Crone

1 Peter 1:18-19
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

hands_in_clay

Sanctification is not an easy process, but it is yet another of the wonderful promises found over and over in the precious word of God.

And again, like the promises reflected upon so far in this series, this too is a past event (“were ransomed”) made complete by the blood of Christ which includes present and future implication.

For me, this speaks to the very real lineage that I know of. My father was a rage-aholic and my mother was a suicidal alcoholic, neither believed in Christ. Both of my grandparents on my mothers side were at best alcoholics and my dad being one of 13 brothers and sisters told stories of huge divisions between siblings growing up; to the point of me only meeting maybe 1 uncle out of dozens if not 100 relatives, none of which I know because we were isolated from both sides of their families.

So I, being an only child in the midst of that emotional war-zone have no struggle at all calling what was my childhood teachings as “futile ways”.

The glory of Christ is that no matter what our story, the hurts caused or the hurts we commit, Christ is the complete Redeemer. Our past holds nothing against the blood of Jesus which was poured out for our transgressions, and the transgressions of others.

I do not know if Christ revealed Himself to my father before he died, but I do know that it took me 20 years of bitterness toward him that I used as my identity as victim before I surrendered the hate, the resentment, the blame and began looking at my own life and actions and realized I grew up not much different, and yet thought all these years I was a “good person”.

For anyone who has read any of my blogs you know my laundry list of generational sins from the outwardly obvious drug addiction in my youth, to my adult alcohol addiction, and even now after almost 3 years of sobriety battling lustful desires, selfishness, pride, fall-back modes of isolation, workaholism, idols of money and comfort.

Titus 3:3-7
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We can claim with confidence and boldness that the generational curse stops with us, this time and place was predestined before creation.

If you are reading this, and your heart has been touched by the love of Christ Jesus, and your thoughts and behaviors are being  transformed by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2) then we can claim the victory through Christ for He has chosen us as His own and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can rest in knowing that the battle for surrender of our futile ways does come to completion in glory at the time of Christ’s return.

We can live today as new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) free from the futility of our old ways, ways that were taught us, ways that we developed out of survival, ways that the world told us would make us feel better, living instead with a focus on kingdom ways and longing for kingdom days when every knee will bow and there will be no more pain or suffering.

That is the promise of God, redemption by the blood which is unaffected by anything that happened in the yesterdays of our life but instead speaks to the incredible tomorrows that lie ahead and the glory of today.

 

 

Father God, fill our hearts with praise this day, rescue us from the worries and darkness of this world, that we may live in a way that is outwardly visible to those around us so that when asked we can point them to You as our Rescuer, our Hope, our Purpose, the Reason for our joy. The past is behind and is what led each of us to this place and time in Your presence, with You, in Your, for You. For that reason Lord I would not change any of my past for I can’t imagine what my life would have been if I missed you along the way. Help me to live just for today, firmly rooted in each moment, filled with a purpose and joy that simply seeks new ways to glorify Your name in all that I do. Thank you for this journey of redemption, the Promise that tells me I am not a product of my past but instead of  product of Yours, and in that my present and future are secure and filled with great hope, joy, peace and purpose filled love for all that you place in my path this day. Thank you Jesus, it is in Your name I pray… 

 

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50 Days of Promises (5): Delivered From Darkness

Posted on October 30, 2013 by George Crone

Colossians 1:13
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

The Cross

 

For me this morning the most powerful aspect of this short but profoundly powerful verse is the tense, past tense; “has delivered”.

Probably one of the most difficult aspects of recovery that I’ve had to deal with in the last couple years has been the concept that the finished work of the cross is complete.

I’m not sure why I get so down on myself feeling I am stuck or unworthy becuase when I truly take a moment to look at my life it doesn’t resemble even a little bit what my life was like before Christ and recovery.

BreakChainsWhere once there was isolation there is now a growing desire and effort to know others and allow myself to be known, in that God is able to begin peeling away the dead layers of selfishness built up around my hardened and self-protective heart.

Where once there was escape through sex, drugs and alcohol there is a growing hunger for God’s word, a sincere prayer life, times of service to the community, church and others through the talents God has given me.

Where once there was self destruction through poor hygene, consistently bad food, no exercise, no doctor or dentist visits there is now a healthier balance and a clean bill of health.

darkness

Where once there was enjoyment over dirty joke emails, watching R or worse movies, foul language, obsessing on prime time tv shows that glorify sexual immorality, family dysfunction and dark humor, pornography and other forms of sexual immorality, excess alcohol and other addictions…

 

A_Shadow_on_the_Lighted_Path_by_Silas_Cova…there is now time spent reading the classics from writers like C.S. Lewis, Jerry Bridges & John Piper or working on Christ-centered recovery homework for some of the small group studies I’m in for core men issues like 33 The Series and Pure Desire; or time spent on the phone or in person with accountability partners (who I now call friends) and mentors, or attending bible studies and worship services or Celebrate Recovery.

The reality is, once the realness of Christ comes upon a person, whether gradually through a lifetime of being close to His church and hearing God’s word or out of a Road to Damascus conversion which rescues someone from the brink of total destruction, it is God who delivers us.

It is He who gives us the new heart that desires these new things. And it is that desire and eventual and ultimately self-paced journey of redemption that is the proof that the finished work of the cross is complete in us.

That is not to say that our work is done once we cross over into a deep authentic relationship with God, but quite the contrary, our work has just begun.

It is not a work however to earn anything, but a fulfilling and purposeful life that becomes possible only because of God’s salvation which is His promise to us when we believe and follow.

delivered from darkness

I believe, as C.S. Lewis so wonderfully illustrated in The Screwtape Letters, Satan and his minions greatest purpose is to pursue the Christian and distract, confuse, condemn, corrupt and confiscate the soul of a believer. He wants to take our eyes off of God and place them on something internal or external that is less than Kingdom causes.

Satan loves the carnal Christian who has bought into the lie that the Sinners Prayer alone gets us into heaven and that how I live my life doesn’t matter.

The truth is that if we can’t see a compelling change in our ways as a result of the work of God in our lives, then we would be right to question if in fact Christ is really in our lives.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We don’t live as new creations because we think we are supposed to, or have to, but because we want to. God changes our heart which changes our desires and direction.

We must always be on guard for the spiritual forces that seek to return our new life in the light to dimness then darkness, to take away the sight God has given us and blind us once again, to harden the heart that has begun to beat freely again.

Whether we are on a mountain top or in the valley, the Christian should draw great joy, peace and eternal comfort in knowing that NOTHING can remove us from the love of God, not even our slips, falls, poor choices or when we are in the midst of paying a price for past hurts, hangups and habits.

His redemptive love is forever! He will not forsake or condemn the one who is working out his salvation with fear and trembling, getting up each day with a new heart and new resolve and new hope that today is the day I serve the Lord.

It is not how many times the Justified falls down, it is how many times the Being Sanctified gets up.

 

 

Father God, Your mercies are new each day, Your blessings bountiful, Your purposes fulfilling, Your desires righteous, Your grace endearing. Thank you Lord for the finished work of the Cross which took this blind and broken fool and filled my life with hope, purpose and desires that I never dreamed possible. Let the worries of the day, the bills, the difficult relationships, the outward circumstances that are beyond my control all fade into the background noise of this world and fill my ears, eyes, and heart with what You would have me see, feel and do today. My life is not my own, and although I fight you on that Lord I pray that you search my heart and now that my spirit is totally free in You even if there are more times than I’d like to admit where I still try and do things my way. Thank you for Your promise of deliverance from darkness and into the Kingdom of Jesus, let all who read this experience the deep sense of fullness that comes over me as I write this, that Your grace is sufficient this day. In Jesus name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (4): A Temple For The Holy Spirit

Posted on October 28, 2013 by George Crone

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

body_temple

Here the Apostle Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth, one of the Churches that He himself planted in a foreign city and devoted much time to preaching and connecting with the people and teaching the good news of Jesus.

Can you imagine the tone in which he wrote the words “do you not know”?!?!?!?!?

As if to say, c’mon, this is new believer milk stuff. It is a fact that if you believe, if you worship, if you repent and follow Jesus Christ then YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!

The Holy Spirit is not given just to the new believers in the early church, or as I’ve been told by some, only to the first 12 Apostles and the few around them whom they laid hands upon.

The in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit is very real, personal and an incredibly powerful gift of God for all those who believe and obey. The gifts that come with the Holy Spirit and the convictions and grace may manifest itself in different ways for everyone, but the Holy Spirit is the 3rd whole being of the Trinity –  Three as One and never changes. 

Mark 13:11
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

1 Thessalonians 1:6
You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Notice in these supporting verses that as self-proclaimed believers we are to act like believers, not just talk like it. The Holy Spirit is given to “those who obey” and that we are to “become imitators”.

How we live our life matters, and the truth of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit is again one of the most profound and life changing promises of God we can rely upon as we mature in our faith.

It is Him who sets us free and allows us to live life as a new creation. We can claim with confidence that as a fruit-bearing Christian seeking through prayer and worship to connect with God and others and to live a life that is God-honoring by helping those in need around us with everything at our disposal (time, money, effort) that truly any successes we have are by His works in us and not by our own doing.

In context, Paul was speaking specifically to the sexual immorality that existed within the church. People who were Christians however who drew the bar too low and were living life for their own pleasures and not honoring God with their bodies.

1 Corinthians 17-20
 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

We were bought with a price, and that price was the life and death of God’s Son, which He freely poured Himself out for us, the sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you Jesus!

 

 

Father God it is you who sets the sinner free. I recognized this morning when I got up and dropped to my knees in prayer that I asked for you to set me free this day but you placed in my heart that I am already set free. So I ask Lord that you instead help me more easily recognize and live in the freedom I already have, because You paid the price on the cross and You Holy Spirit are in my soul leading me, convicting me, holding me up with grace, filling my heart with song and praise, and you petition God in heaven on my behalf, for it is You Holy Spirit who knows what I need, who is with me for eternity, leading and loving me to be the man You created and are calling me to be. Let me not seek the things of Your kingdom, but instead recognize that the kingdom is within, in the temple of my body that I must maintain. Give me the desires of Your heart Lord that I might eat healthy, let only pure thoughts reign in my mind, let only wholesome images in through my eyes, and listen and partake in wholesome conversations, to live, love and laugh for Your glory Father God. Let me honor Your temple which is my body Lord. You fill us with great hope this day and for always, thank you God. It is in Jesus name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (3): New Creations

Posted on October 25, 2013 by George Crone

2 Corinthians 5:17-19  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

who-i-am_2

 

Verse 17 has been a life verse for me since January 3, 2011; that is the date that I dropped to my knees and cried out to my Lord and Savior and everything changed.

I had no vision or even desire that I would be getting up at 5am in the morning to meditate on God’s word, pray and worship God, or share the good news of hope in Jesus with all my co-workers or this blog, or volunteer to work in restoring neighborhoods forgotten by civilization that have become increasingly corrupt and broken, or find myself in men’s groups and have accountability meetings several days a week, or be involved in recovery ministry to help others find their freedom in Christ, or become reconciled to the fact that I will spend the rest of my life on earth on high alert being wary of my denials and blindnesses that surface in the form of selfishness, fear, pride and other Spirit snuffing behaviors.

new-creation2The only way I can think to describe it right now is that once Christ becomes truly real to us and we are filled with a confidence and hope that He can do what we cannot, then we have entered the proper position of humbled reverence and surrender to His will for our life. It is in this stance that we truly become new creations of Christ.

And as verse 18 points out, this is not something earned by our strivings to prove our worthiness or how good we had lived our lives up to that point, it has always been Him who has since the beginning of time been tapping us on our hearts and saying  “I have a gift for you”.

I myself had rejected it for 45 years. I didn’t know that fact in my life until after I stepped over the line, it was a hindsight thing. I didn’t know how blind I was until I could see.

And it is that message which presses hard on my heart for others who claim they are Christians, maybe even believe they are but there is absolutely no evidence of a changed heart.

The awareness that broke through the crack in my hardened heart that I believe led to my surrender was these two verses. 

Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

It was a healthy fear of these two verses which made me begin to look inward and ask “do I really know God, am I truly in relationship with Him

When I finally got honest with myself and God the answer was no, I was not living as a new creation, nothing was different in my life as a result of claiming to know God, and I began to worry. 

In hindsight I realize I was going through the motions thinking it was as good as it gets. I had known of God, I loved the idea of God, I thought it would be neat if God could do the things for me that I had seen Him do for others and the promises that I heard the pastors preach, I even prayed to God and went to church occasionally. Bit my life was not different. 

It wasn’t until I needed God, surrendered to God, cried out in reverence to God that my heart change, my desires changed, my life changed.

This concept of being Born Again is one of the greatest promises of God, that if we will at some point in our life reach out in total faith and even with a struggling belief call upon God to save us, He will. But only when our heart is willing to change as He defines change, not just to be relieved of ailments.

I begged God for years to remove my drinking and drugging, give me a good girlfriend or wife, better my career, help me pay for a vacation… but on that fateful morning I said nothing about my addictions or desires, I simply and deeply declared deep within my heart that God did in deed die and rise again and that He did that for me, and claimed His promise that if I did that He would change my life.

I didn’t tell Him how to change my life, just that I was willing to be changed. I believe it is the willingly bent heart that fully surrenders to God which opens the floodgates of mercy and change by grace.

We are made new creations by God alone, but we must be the one to take that gift willfully, cheerfully, hopefully with great anticipation and expectation.

new-creation

God doesn’t shave caterpillars, He makes butterflies.

I can’t take credit for that quote, but I think it is an awesome analogy of what God does in the soul of a surrendered heart. I lived my life broken and selfish, seeking only my own pleasures, increase, goals and treasures but God continues each day that I reach out in reverence and awe to Him to press out that old dead man and raise a new man from the ashes.

Romans 5:8 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

 

 

Lord God, I am yet again so grateful this morning for Your promises that tell me who I am in You. I thank you for this grace-filled moment to recognize that indeed my life is not my own anymore, yet the new life you are giving me is filled with purpose, joy and peace. When you found me by the stream that fateful morning I was suicidal. I had been trying for years to change my own life but was completely incapable of bringing any lasting change. You Lord are accomplished what I thought was impossible. Help me this day to stay in that place of awareness that you are in fact working out a miracle in my life, that I am not stuck, or worthless, or slow… maybe stubborn to surrender all of my will to you but I recognize your grace and compassion that simply calls me to get up, press on and watch what you are doing and be obedient when it is my time to BE the person you are calling me to be. I asked that you press a more surrendered heart into all of Your creation Father, make your free gift, the promise of becoming a new creation, deep into all who are still fighting it Lord. May Your will and not ours be done this day. In Jesus name I pray…

 

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50 Days of Promises (2): Redeemed by the Blood

Posted on October 24, 2013 by George Crone

Ephesians 1:7 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

Ye-were-redeemed-with-the-precious-blood-of-Christ-w

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

re·deem
riˈdēm
verb
past tense: redeemed; past participle: redeemed

1. compensate for the faults or bad aspects of (something).

synonyms: save, compensate for the defects of, vindicate compensating, compensatory, extenuating, redemptive; do something that compensates for poor past performance or behavior. vindicate, free from blame, absolve (of a person) atone or make amends for (error or evil). atone for, make amends for, make restitution for save (someone) from sin, error, or evil. save, deliver from sin, convert 

2. gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment.

synonyms: retrieve, regain, recover, get back, reclaim, repossess; buy back

redeemedHow powerful is the Word of God, and how powerful is even the definition of redeemed?

To surrender to Christ, to believe with faith that Jesus Christ died and rose for the sins of all who confess and repent, is to have already been redeemed.

Whether I “feel” like it or not, I am forgiven and set free.

The redemptive power of Christ, the atonement for our sins is a price paid in blood, a price that Jesus paid on the cross. This is not something we earn, need to strive for, can obtain through any other means than by His complete and perfect sacrifice.

That is His promise to us, His forgiveness of our sins because of what He did. A life poured out so that we may live whole and free in Him. Thank you Jesus!!!

This has been a very elusive concept for me to grasp deep in my heart in that since coming to Christ I realize more each day how short I fall in my walk and Satan is all too quick to attempt to use that against me. As more of myself is revealed to me about the truths of my behaviors of selfishness and self-preservation (and the longer my amends list grows) the more I come to understand grace and redemption are the free gift of God.

The CrossIt is His blood that directly washes away the shame of the past, the emptiness of broken relationships, eliminates the resentments over yesterday. If we will wake each day with the awareness that yesterday is gone and today has amazing potential with God at the helm and our eternity is secure we will have no choice but to experience joy, because true joy is only found at the foot of the cross. It is Him that we put our hope, trust, purpose and path upon.

God’s promise of Justification through the sacrificial work of His only begotten Son is complete. His work is done. And we are free.

Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Whether we are a new Christian coming to recognize the incredible power in the blood of Jesus for the first time, or a seasoned cross-bearer who has grown weary, the deeper we experience restorative healing for the past, present and future sins that so deeply carve away at the image God created us in, the more profoundly complete our lives can become in the present.

As a new creation in Christ we are not called to walk around with our head down broken in shame and sorrow, God tells us to life our head high and walk tall in Him.

Romans 5:9-11 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 

 

Father God I thank you this morning for Your Word that sets my soul free, that tells me that I am chosen, loved and redeemed by Your work on the cross, by the blood that You spilled out for all mankind. The bonds of my addictions, the self-imposed prison of resentments, the fear of future events, the disappointments of today’s shortfalls are all lies from Satan meant to steal away the incredible peace and joy that You have ordained for all who call on You as our Lord and Savior. You are my King and I am your humble and grateful servant. Help me hear only Your voice Lord who promises me that I am redeemed because of what you did, not sentenced to suffer because of what I have done. Let this day be one of rejoicing in Your atonement and fill our eyes, hearts and minds with the things that please, honor and glorify You alone Lord. It is in Your precious name I pray…

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