Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
ARE YOU SEEKING?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
When an individual is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himself, not because of the demands of the church, but because of the knowledge within his heart.”
--GORDON HINKLEY
Was having coffee in Columbus yesterday with one of our partners, Peggy. She is very special to me. It would be hard to find someone with a bigger heart for the homeless and addicted anywhere. Peggy has an energy for serving others that is unparalleled. What makes her even more amazing is she bundles all that passion up in a little 5ft, 63 year old frame.
I do love her so.
But yesterday as we talked about several projects we are working on for homeless and addicted women, we got on the topic of truth; its importance, its power but also its elusiveness for the recovering.
At the core of most active addiction is deception; the enemy feeds it and the addicted usually lap it up.
The reality is that society is full of vain philosophies that promise much but offer nothing.
I like how one author summarized the elusiveness of truth in our world when he said, “Capturing truth in a deceptive world run by Satan, the father of lies is as unlikely as catching wind in a paper sack.”
And boy is that ever true.
When Jesus calls us to accountability and honesty for change, the enemy counters with isolation and “slight of hand”.
When GOD says there is real joy, real peace and real healing in the truth…
James 5:16
King James Version (KJV)
16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
…the enemy distorts it with warped views and mantras.
“It is not truth that matters, but victory.” ― Adolf Hitler
So often both Peggy and I witness the momentum of recovery and the journey of faith crippled by the suppression of truth. Even when the WORD makes it clear, when we deceive others, when we suppress the truth we are only deceiving ourselves.
Ephesians 4:25
The Message (MSG)
25What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
So here is the deal and let’s keep it simple!
Truth is fundamental to our relationship with each other, our relationship with Christ and to our FREEDOM!
Jesus said it!
John 8:31-32
“If you continue to accept and obey my teaching, you are really my followers. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
And where do we find it?
The only place “TRUE truth” exists is in God and His inspired Word.
John 14:6
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me…
When we embrace GOD’s truth, then the enemy’s deceptive power is broken. When we embrace GOD’s truth, WE can be FREE from wrong thinking, the lies, the isolation, the unrest, the cravings, the compulsions, the preoccupations and the addictions!
Unfortunately, some people will never apply REAL truth to their lives.
Maybe it is fear. Maybe it is because that “lifestyle seems too difficult”. Maybe it is because living in TRUTH requires discipline. Maybe it is because we arrogantly believe “we got this”.
Whatever the excuse, when we ignore the truth, it’s healing, it’s deliverance, it’s guidance, and it’s relevance, we will NEVER BE TRULY FREE!
Yet when we commit to embracing REAL TRUTH, GOD’S TRUTH to our recovery and our lives, when we get into His WORD and APPLY IT TO OUR BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT, God accepts responsibility for revealing His principles through THAT TRUTH so that we can live righteously and FREE!
AND THAT IS THE TRUTH!
I love you all.
Freedom Church
Pastor GDelaney
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