GOOD THOUGHTS=GOOD CHOICES

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.

You know sometimes I think we make this recovery/Christian walk thing a little complicated. We put steps to it, work hard to organize it, and even try to make it marketing friendly.

When at the end of the day, recovery is rooted in choice.

GOD offered and blessed us with the opportunity for choice. Yes HE could have crafted us as minions and “yes men and women”, but instead He gives us the FREEDOM to choose.

Needless to say for those walking with me in recovery we have had a season of two of choosing poorly that is for sure. And true to scripture it has damaged us and our freedoms and joy. Incarceration, lost opportunities, and damaged relationships are the fruits of those choices. Scripture promises that.

Galatians 5:13

…Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom.

That is why it is so critical that each day we fix our hearts and minds to the proposition of “choosing wisely”. All day long we are going to be bombarded with choice after choice, some good options and some “not so good” options. We need to prepare ourselves with a mindset to use our FREEDOM wisely and in service to GOD and what GOD would want us to do.

Maybe start here…

Psalm 57:7

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed...

Heart fixed on GOD. Good start!

Adrian Rogers' little blog site offered a solid piece of wisdom when it comes to “choosing” correctly. It says, “He who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places.”

That is good stuff for I believe far too often we set ourselves up for daily failure.

We hold on to dangerous phone numbers. We take a route to work that sparks temptation. We click the mouse and travel down some familiar paths of lust and self-gratification. We stop by just for a COKE and a few laughs at the old haunt.

We dabble. Then we wonder why we fail; we wonder how our FREEDOM got damaged even though scripture says that is what will happen when we misuse our freedom, when we choose poorly, when we “dabble.”

So it would seem pretty simple then wouldn’t it? If don’t want to fall…don’t dabble.

James 4:8

…Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.

If we are to have a walk in obedience to God, we must determine ahead of time what our course of action will be for the day ahead. We are not dummies. We know our weak spots.

I tell people all the time I used to have my name on the bar at Hooters; I drank there almost every day. So what do I do when I drive past Hooters now? I don’t go in!

To slippery. To “dabblely”for me!

It isn’t rocket science, but I will admit there are some other areas of disobedience that aren’t quite so easily avoided. A leering stare, undisciplined surf on the net, or maybe a fit of rage at the cashier. All of these little choices add up to no good.

So I encourage you as I encourage myself today. Fix your mind and heart on the things of GOD this morning. Set the tone for a good day with good thoughts that are focused on Him.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whateveris true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whateveris pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

This one GOOD choice will lead to more.

Have a blessed day.

I love you all.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney