God always answers
Job 33:14 God always answers, one way or another, even when people don’t recognize his presence.
Month: September 2016
Attempts at self-justification are riddled with lies.
Psalms 24:3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the
clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
Daily Reflection September 27, 2016
Matthew 3:1-2 While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called “the Baptizer,” was preaching in the desert country of Judea. His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”
The doctrine that John preached was changed life through repentance of sin
- God would like everyone to repent and believe.
2 Peter 3:9 God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.
- If you, a loved one or a friend as suffering from the negative effects and influences of addiction and compulsion seek help now through your local church or community centre.
The Cross frees us from having to be “good,” so we can freely admit we are bad
Good and Bad
Bible Reading: Galatians 3:10-13
We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
We may still feel like we’re basically good people. Yes, our lives may have gotten a bit out of control, but the good we’ve done surely outweighs the bad. Maybe we don’t need to turn our lives over to Jesus Christ and accept him as our Savior. Perhaps we can just make amends for the wrongs we’ve done and do our best to be good in the future. Then everything will be fine.
Maybe not! The Bible doesn’t say that God weighs our good deeds out against our bad. Here’s what God says: “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws” (James 2:10). “‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.’ So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life’” (Galatians 3:10-11). “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The Bible makes it clear that if we reject Jesus Christ’s payment for our sins, we will have to pay the debt ourselves. The only acceptable payment is death. Not even a lifetime of our good deeds is enough to make amends for the bad deeds we’ve done, no matter how few they may be
Daily Reflection September , 2016
Proverbs 12:18 Thoughtless words cut like a sword. But the tongue of wise people brings healing.
What we say reveals what is in our hearts. Wholehearted obedience to God requires preparation. Repairing relationships requires preparation. Unless our hearts are ready for the task of meeting and sharing with others we have hurt and who have hurt us it isn’t going to go well.
We need to take time to pray about it, set a plan of how we would like the meeting to go and what outcomes we desire. God likes it when we take time to prepare for things with a spirit of thankfulness for whatever happens. We also need to take time to prepare what we want to say to people. The words we use can make all the difference in how we are received.
– Have you prepared what you want to say to people on your list?
Prayer: Lord help me prepare what I want to say to the people
on my list with Your help.
Daily Reflection September 20, 2016
Don’t hold back:
Proverbs 3:27 Don’t hold back good from those who are worthy of it. Don’t hold it back when you can help.
God’s ability to do good is not limited by our understanding. When we have to do things we don’t want to do or don’t feel up to doing God offers us extraordinary resources. We should not put off contacting people on our list because we don’t want to or don’t feel up to meeting them. In this step we need to put our faith in God and trust Him to bring good out of our willingness to go through the process.
If things don’t go according to our expectations we need to learn not to grumble about them, complain about them or blame God because we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.
- Are you willing to approach people who may reject your attempts to repair
relationships?Prayer: Lord help me to understand the process
I am going through is for my spiritual growth not others.
Daily Reflection September 18, 2016
The right motives
Psalms 90:17 Lord, make what we do succeed. Please make what we do succeed. God wants what
is best for us. If we follow His le ading and guidance we can expect success in the process of recovery.
Success by God’s standards is not the same as success by the world’s standards. Success by God’s standards does not mean immunity from difficulties of failure. When we are on the process of repairing relationships it may not always be easy. Success by God’s standards is not a guarantee of a good reception from others, their agreement to pursue repairing the relationship or them even being happy to meet or talk to us.
When we apply God’s wisdom to the process of repairing relationships He promises us that what we do, if done in the right spirit and with the right motives will be approved by Him.
– Whose approval are you seeking through repair of broken or damaged relationships?
Prayer: Lord make my motives pure.
Daily Reflection September 17, 2016
Live your beliefs
Psalm s 51:14 Take away my guilt. Then my tongue will sing about how right you are no matter 
what you do.
Guilt comes from giving in to our temptations. To eliminate guilt in our lives we need to eliminate the cause of our guilt. Because of who we are, where we have come f rom and what we are going through at the moment all of us have some degree of guilty feelings. In the past we have hidden them behind our problems and defects.
As we go through the process of recovery and especially in the process of repairing relationsh ips we need to learn to lean on God. We need to learn recovery is a process of daily confession our sin to God to avoid the temptations around about us.
Guilt in our lives comes from failure to do what God expects us to do. Learn to live what you believe.
– Do your actions match your beliefs?
– If not, why not?
Prayer: Lord today let my actions match my beliefs
Daily Reflection September , 2016
Chosen by God
1 Thessalonians 1:4 Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God. We know that he has chosen you.
It is good to remember that good choices have positive long-term results. When we remember that in the context of God choosing us it makes the process of recovery and the privilege we have been given just that bit more special.
There is nothing more exciting in my life than the knowledge that God loves me, sent His Son to die for me and introduced me to daily relationship with the Holy Spirit enable me to do all He is calling me to do.
- How is making the right choices in your life reflecting on your integrity?
- How is obedience to God bringing you safety and security?
Prayer: Thank You Lord for loving me. For choosing me to walk this
path of recovery, integrity, safety and security