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?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
“You are not what others think you are. You are what God knows you are.” ― Shannon L. Alder
There is a great little tool that I know many of you have seen called, “Father’s Love Letter”. I included the link below.
We often use this tool for those in early recovery or those who have recently accepted Christ to quickly let them know how precious they are to GOD; to let them know how “GOD KNOWS” them.
And here is why.
The enemy spends considerable time with each of us pressuring us to evaluate ourselves by how others perceive us, by the mistakes we have made, by the endless times we have been a disappointment even to those closest to us. Those comparisons can be exhausting and sometime cause catastrophe.
And so, I believe from time to time it is crucial, even for those who have been following Christ and walking in recovery for a season or two to be reset by the truth; by the reality of how our FATHER sees us and how much He loves us!
Case in point.
Monday was to be a “new start” for a longtime friend. His brother and sister were poised to help restore this one who had recently fallen prey to heroin and crystal meth addiction by taking him to one of our prominent and effective recovery partners.
And yet when the time came to load up and head out, he bolted.
Flash forward to yesterday as I am traveling home from Cincinnati and my phone starts ringing; 6 times the same number. I was on the other line, but finally could pick up on the 6th time.
It was this same fellow.
When I pressed him a little about his abandoning our well-conceived recovery plan, he said some things that so many say, “I am such a disappointment, I failed again, I let everyone down, I am beyond help, I am so scared about who I really am.”
So, we went back to the truth. Why? Because it is the only thing that effectively frees us and him from this sort of distorted thinking. (John 8:32)
I reminded him that those who are most dear to him would relish his acceptance of treatment and recovery. I reminded him that nothing, even yesterday's “break for it” could bring him to a place where GOD would STOP loving him. (Romans 8:38-39).
Pray for my friend.
We have another “plan” in place today. I pray that he will accept the opportunity to walk back into the arms of his Father and start his restoration journey.
But while the story of my friend is not a unique one, at least not in my line of work, many of us succumb to the lies of comparison and the lies of dejection and disappointment. Sometimes all of us spend time listening to the liar, that father of lies (John 8:44). Sometimes all of us need a little infusion of truth about the depth of our Father’s knowledge of and more importantly His love for us.
So, take a second.
Click on the link.
Grab a little infusion of GOOD TRUTH or REAL perspective today.
GOD knows who you are.
And you know what, He loves you anyway.
I love you all…
OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE
No comments:
Post a Comment