BEYOND THE BRINK

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.

“I’m being pushed to the brink”, she said. “I know I need to ‘let go and let GOD’, I sure don’t need to hear that one again, but the truth is I am ready to quit.”

WOW!

But we have all been there haven’t we?

Some days we feel as if our faith is on trial and Satan is running a cross-examination that challenges our very confidence in God.

We feel stressed, oppressed, depressed…just “messed”…reallyJ

It is during those tough “trials” that we have to shed the way we feel and reach out and get a firm GRIP on the TRUTH. When our faith is being interrogated we must pause and ask ourselves am I going to lean on my feelings or am I going to believe what the LORD SAYS to take me through it?

Proverbs 3:5-8

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

⁵ Trust the LORD completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. ⁶ With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. ⁷ Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the LORD and stay away from evil. ⁸ If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.

As hard as things seem at times, GOD always has a purpose for trying our faith.

The truth is that He stretches us so that we will have a greater capacity to serve Him.

Like an athlete facing a barrier we may sometimes feel we are at our limit, but in reality the process occurs more gently, like stretching a new rubber band a little at a time. With each extension, we are able to accomplish more for His glory.

It is when we feel like we are melting under the pressure of life, we must remember, we aren’t the first to be taken to the brink…

Psalm 66:8
^8-12 Bless our God, O peoples!
Give him a thunderous welcome!
Didn't he set us on the road to life?
Didn't he keep us out of the ditch?
He trained us first,
passed us like silver through refining fires,
Brought us into hardscrabble country,
pushed us to our very limit,
Road-tested us inside and out,
took us to hell and back;
Finally he brought us
to this well-watered place.

The bottom line is GOD desires our complete dependence, regardless of the situation. That is why He will often test us in the same area repeatedly until we can successfully bear up under the pressure.

Why…

…Because like the PSALMIST we will be able to testify to the TRUTH via our own experience of GOD’s help in our toughest times.

Let’s face some facts, the walk of a believer and a “recoverer”is not an easy one that is for sure. We will taste both success and failure as our faith is in the process of growing and our faith will be put on trial and placed on the stand over and over again in this life.

Yet if we train ourselves to trust the truth and set our feelings aside, we will continue to draw nearer and nearer to GOD and I think that is where we want to be after all isn’t it? Paul thought so…

2 Corinthians 7:11-13
And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closerto God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart.

I love you all.

Hang in there!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

ON TRACK

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.

I had the chance to “go back” to treatment yesterday.

Now before you jump to any conclusions, I was a visitor at TREATMENT yesterday. I had the opportunity to address a group at Turning Point, Miami Valley’s Behavioral Health arm. My dear friend, and to be quite honest, one of those people who saved my life, Scott Coffman asked me to come and share.

Scott is the director of this program and continues to play an immeasurable role in my on-going recovery.

Yet after Scott and I finished our time of sharing we took some questions and one of them brought me to today’s DISPATCH. The question was in effect…

“Do you ever get “done” with recovery, how do you stay on track?”

Truth is the only graduation or“being done” I know of for the recovering and the believer is when they cover us with dirt as my dear buddy Tom Thompson often says.

Therefore we must, as the Word says, be prepared to fight the good fight of faith each and every day.

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever.

I was reminded by the question that we must fix our thoughts on Jesus DAILY. We must equip our minds and Spirits DAILY for its challenges.

I even reiterated to them that the old cliché “one day at a time” is rock solid in its truth.

Matthew 6:34
So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.

Daily reinforcement of FAITH and FOCUS is so important to the walk of the recovering and the walk of the believer! There are so many distractions to get us off track and to divert our attention. For the recovering there are so many temptations and lures that come in the form of past relationships, old feelings, new stressors that serve to overwhelm us and fatigue us.

We must DAILY guard against falling off track!

How?

It is imperative to stay connected to and focused on Jesus Christ each and every day. For me, I need to do it first thing each day as well as be constantly reinforcing my attention on Him throughout the day.

I know I am easily distracted.

Yesterday’s discussion reminded me of a sermon I heard years ago about “Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing”. You now see it on bumper stickers and office trinkets, but it is PERFECT advice for keeping us on track!

Keep the main thing the main thing and that main thing is JESUS.

Hebrews 3:1

¹ Christian brothers, you have been chosen and set apart by God. So let us think about Jesus. He is the One God sent and He is the Religious Leader of our Christian faith.

In other words, don’t ever get complacent or think you have arrived or “finished” this race; don’t ever lose sight of WHO is responsible for your recovery and your life, JESUS.

If you do, then you will stay on track. And if you feel yourself slipping of the rail or you begin to feel that you have “arrived” or that you are“there”, remember this verse from Paul.

Philippians 3:12 (MSG)

^12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

“If your attention is centered on Christ and the promises He provides in His Word, then you will experience a residing peace that lingers deep inside….” Stanley

And you will stay on track.

I love you all.

Have a blessed day.

Freedom Church

LEAN on 33

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.

I have been noticing myself in the “33” zone quite a bit lately.

What do I mean?

While sitting at coffee early Saturday morning with a young man looking for some answers, we found ourselves in discussion about finding direction for his life. No verse jump-starts that better than this 33…

Matthew 6:33

New International Version (NIV)

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Then there were several times this past week where folks were feeling downright hopeless. Job troubles, relationship troubles and that like. And it is during those discussions that the Holy Spirit directs me to another rock solid “33”.

John 16:33

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

³³ “I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”

I love the HOPE that these “33’s” bring to the table.

They settle a lot in very short order.

Jesus knew we would face challenges as we lived, but He wanted us to never forget, He had overcome and so could we.

All we need to do is seek Him.

These little one sentence powerhouses remind us that the hope that the world offers is fleeting and imperfect but the hope that God offers is unchanging, unshakable, and unending. It is no wonder, then, that when we seek security, escape and peace for our hopeless moments from worldly sources, our hopes are often dashed and our stresses are often increased.

Yet when we seek Him first we find victory and we find our hope.

Hope begins with God. Period.

So as you embark on another day; another week, “learn and lean on these 33’s.”

Seek GOD. Be brave. Harness your hope!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crPyH-68KZU

I love you all.

Have a blessed day.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

GET OUT OF THE DARK!

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.

All of us have likely heard the maxim, “Confession is good for the soul.” It’s an old Scottish proverb but there is a word missing. The proverb actually reads, “Open confession is good for the soul.”

And what is that scripture again?

1 Corinthians 4:5

…For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives.

Here is a little axiom of my own. “In spite that we may ‘feel’ to the contrary, confession and light are healthy.”

Look at this from 1 John this morning.

1 John 1:5-10 (The Message)

…God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him.

6-7If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.

8-10If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

One of the reoccurring challenges for folks in recovery is we have become comfortable with secrets and “dark places”.

Don’t think so?

Why then are bars dimly lit? Think about that for a second. J

Yet when we decide to walk with Jesus, to embrace recovery as our lifestyle, when we make that decision to allow the Lord into our lives to manage our thoughts and our lives, GOD calls us to step into the new light; God’s pure light.

And WOW can that be blinding!

"You mean I can’t get over on my family anymore? I need to be open about my activities and behavior? I need to be transparent and trusting?"

YIKES!

I can definitely say there are many times in my life when that “light”is neither welcome nor inviting. There are times where it is downright intrusive and abrasive.

Putting my lustful thoughts, my inappropriate language, my frustrations and failures on display under the light of Jesus for all to see can be embarrassing and humbling. Telling others that I get it wrong a whole lot more than I get it right goes against my very nature.

But the Lord is teaching me that even though it can be blinding and messy, I need to be willing to walk and embrace the light.

Because when we re-invite darkness—sin—into our life, there is immediate conflict. Darkness and light cannot mix.

And for those of us in recovery we know what this conflict feels like, right?

The bar we frequented ever day after work suddenly doesn’t feel comfortable. The internet sites where we used to be members suddenly seem offensive. Our flirtatious behavior at work suddenly doesn’t feel so innocent. The trip down the bike path to score suddenly seems much more sinister and risky.

Yet I realize that regardless of where we are on this journey with Jesus we are human and we will fail; we will be disobedient; we will dabble we will sneak back into the dark.

We just have to resolve not to stay there!

James 4:7 (The Message)

7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

And the way to bring back the light and to defeat the darkness is through heartfelt confession.

Seems pretty simple but the truth is it is downright scary!

But confession allows GOD’S light to stream into our dark places. Confession brings life to the dead spots of our psyche and SPIRIT.

So my encouragement today is for all of us to stay in the light!

In other words, you experience a setback or relapse; recognize it and nip it in the bud. Don’t linger at the bar, throw the remaining dope in the trash, leave the situation, and divert the eyes, power down the PC.

And then be willing to confess it. Let GOD heal it. Stay in the light because there is acceptance and healing in that light.

James 5:16

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁶ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

I love you all.

Have a blessed weekend.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

FIX YOUR FOCUS

 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.

I took my son Ian to an ophthalmologist last week. He is a Delaney, so he is having a few issues with his eyes and with focus. Nothing new given my genetic record, but while there I was noticing all of the equipment in the doctor’s office and exam room. Tons of gadgets and instruments, lenses and lights, gizmos and charts all designed to help Ian or whoever to “focus” better.

That got me to thinking today. The ability to “focus” sure is important. Not just with our vision, but in life as well.

Yet, it sure is easy for “life” to blur things isn’t it? Our choices and feelings can sometimes fray our focus don’t they?

Even though GOD gives us our focal point for each day in Matthew…

Matthew 6:33

New Century Version (NCV)

³³ Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.

…we sometimes lose that focus. We allow our feelings, our selfishness, our weaknesses, not to mention the plethora of distractions this world offers distort our vision for the day don’t we?

The truth is the DEVIL wants us to lose focus; “forget our focal”point. He plots and plans daily for ways to get us off track because he knows how easy it is for our flesh to sabotage our focus and our selfish nature to cloud our clarity.

And how does he do it? He uses good old temptation.

Nothing like a little spray of old habits and desires to fog our spiritual lenses and divert our attention from the Father to ourselves.

We have all been there right?

The enemy waves that little distraction like the proverbial carrot in front of the horse. He gets our brain to thinking about it. We imagine how we would feel if it were ours and even though God may shower countless blessings on us, can’t seem to take our focus off of it.

Whether it is lustful thoughts, comparative thoughts or even “woe is me” thoughts, we get fixated on the wrong things and before you know it we have lost sight of our focal point; seeking GOD first and there we are burning our time and energy on sin. Sometimes we can't even remember how we got there, can we?

That is why it is SO IMPORTANT TO SET OUR FOCUS each morning and be on the lookout for those things and situations where the enemy could be trying to redirect and distract. Let's NOT kid ourselves. We can have the best of intentions each day, but it we are not committed and steadfast in our focus, we know where those can lead. Like the old proverb says…

“the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

We must remember Satan wants to alienate us from God. He wants us to take our eyes off the Lord so he can lead us to temptation and FOG OUR FOCUS with our selfish interests and desires. So we need to be careful when we feel our focus being compromised. We need to be aware that temptation is the distraction, we must get it in check quickly or our flesh will feed IT and then suddenly we will find ourselves catering to IT or neck deep in IT; whatever IT is.

So the question for today is “how’s your focus?”

Are you seeking GOD with 20/20 vision? Are you aware of the potential distractions, temptations and pitfalls that may come your way today? Never forget, even if yesterday was a complete train wreck (like mine), even if yesterday was a distracted, “out of focus” disaster, today is a new day and our focus can be fixed.

Lamentations 3:22-23

New Living Translation (NLT)

²² The faithful love of the LORD never ends!^[a]
His mercies never cease.
²³ Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Through the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to re-focus.

Ephesians 1:17 (MSG)

…ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focusedand clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

Have a blessed and focused day!

I love you all.

Freedom Church

NO "FAIR WEATHER FATHER"...

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.

Busy day yesterday.

I had an early morning run to the REFUGE, pray for D.P. today.

Then I made a quick jaunt back to Xenia where I participated in a poverty simulation with around 60 or so others from the Xenia community and churches. But it was a discussion I had with a “new/old” friend following the simulation that led me to my thoughts this morning.

I was on my way out when a gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey, I came Monday night and I wanted to thank you and I want to come back”. And of course I was flattered, but also embarrassed to say, I didn’t see him Monday and while he looked familiar, I didn’t know his name. L

But as we talked he shared his story.

He had some “days” of sobriety and relapsed.

He had recently been released from jail and rehab. He was in the middle of a 16 week program at the VA. He was working HARD at his recovery, I mean HARD.

Yet as he shared I could sense a little fear; I got this vibe of uncertainty from him. I could feel some apprehension stemming from a feeling that he was worried that “he wasn't yet doing enough to ‘GET GOD BACK’” There was some genuine concern about how GOD felt about his most recent relapse?

That brought me to that familiar passage, one that Mark shared Sunday.

Luke 15:18-20

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

I was reminded me of the “Nephtali” embrace of the Father when we fail.

I was reminded of Peter’s denial and his restoration by Jesus following His resurrection.

I was reminded that the Father had compassion for my friend and was excited to see him back working HARD on his recovery.

I was reminded and reminded him that God's love for him and us is unconditional!

This story in Luke, this parable of the lost son is the “GO TO” passage for the RECOVERY PASTOR, but some also call it “The Parable of the Father's Heart.”

And for my friend yesterday that had “better application.”

He knew he was lost. He hated that he had wandered off. But HE WAS SO THANKFUL for THE FATHER’S HEART, THE FATHER’S EMBRACE, THE FATHER’S KISS, and THE FATHER’S PROMISE.

Malachi 3:7

…Return tome, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty

My friend is not alone, all of us from time to time feel as if we have sinned and offended God to such an extent that we can’t possibly approach Him; that He does not want to see us and he SURE doesn’t want to EMBRACE us!

Truth is we all do things that make us feel “a long way off". That is how my friend felt. That is the story of the lost son.

Yet what both my friend and the son found was a Father waiting for them with open arms running to meet them.

For when we turn back to God, He is running to meet you, with embraces and kisses, welcoming us back with a “Nephtali” embrace!

As I close, you know I am a fan of Max Lucado. He frames this little thought it his very special way below. I just liked it and thought I would share it.

Have a blessed day

Running Away From The Fatherby Max Lucado

When I was seven years old, I ran away from home.

I'd had enough of my father's rules and decided I could make it on my own, thank you very much. With my clothes in a paper bag, I stormed out the back gate and marched down the alley.

Like the prodigal son, I decided I needed no father. Unlike the prodigal son, I didn't go far. I got to the end of the alley and remembered I was hungry, so I went back home.

But though the rebellion was brief, it was rebellion nonetheless. And had you stopped me on that prodigal path between the fences and asked me who my father was, I just might have told you how I felt. I just might have said, "I don't need a father. I'm too big for the rules of my family. It's just me, myself and my paper bag."

I don't remember saying that to anyone, but I remember thinking it. And I also remember rather sheepishly stepping in the back door and taking my seat at the supper table across from the very father I had, only moments before, disowned.

Did he know of my insurrection? I suspect he did. Did he know of my denial? Dads usually do. Was I still his son? Apparently so. (No one else was sitting in my place.)

Had you gone to my father after you had spoken to me and asked, "Mr. Lucado, your son says he has no need of a father. Do you still consider him your son?" What would my dad have said?

I don't have to guess at his answer. He called himself my father even when I didn't call myself his son. His commitment to me was greater than my commitment to him.

I didn't hear the rooster crow like Peter did. I didn't feel the fish belch like Jonah did. I didn't get a robe and a ring and sandals like the prodigal did. But I learned from my father on earth what those three learned from their Father in heaven.

Our God is no fair-weather Father. He's not into this love-'em-and-leave-'em-stuff. I can count on him to be in my corner no matter how I perform. You can, too.

I love you all.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

WEAK? No, STRONG!

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.

Had a few “office hours” yesterday. Really just a couple; I am not great at the office thing, but GOD is working on me with that…J. Yet while there, I happened to answer the phone and on the other end was… let’s call him “GUY”. After an hour of discussion, I now know why I was in the office.

“GUY” is deeply hurt and sad. “GUY” is overwhelmed by circumstances, his past, a cloudy present and a seemingly bleak future. “GUY” is staring at some pretty hairy consequences.

“GUY” doesn’t think he can make it. “GUY” was kicking around cashing out. “GUY” is feeling pretty weak and vunerable.

Thankfully, “GUY” and I talked. (Really I allow GOD to do the talking) and “GUY” is better. “GUY”even made it to FREEDOM last night. “GUY”needed to hear that even though it “didn’t feel like it”, that he was right where GOD wanted him and more importantly that GOD had never changed His promise for him

Jeremiah 29:11

"I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.

Some of us are like “GUY”; being pushed to the very LIMITS OF LIFE. The apostle PAUL was also pushed to the very edge. And when he was, he had this lesson for “GUY” and for all of us.

2 Corinthians 12:9-12

⁹ He (GOD) answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. ¹⁰I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me. I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You read “PAUL’S STUFF”, it is CLEAR he knew a lot about difficulty, hardship, and trial. But what we really need to learn from him is that he understood the “reason” for the “weak times” of his life. That they were there to glorify Jesus through his weakness.

Come on, I get it.

We don’t like to feel helpless or out of control of our own lives. We don’t like having life pressing down on us, exhausting us, stripping our options and leaving us desperate.

No one likes those times.

But we can find hope in PAUL’s revelation; that the prelude to great strength is often great weakness!

In other words, THE LESSON is that our weakest moments—those times we feel the most desperate—are the very times when God is free to do His greatest work by empowering and strengthening us.

The truth that we have is that in those circumstances during which we whisper, “God, I cannot go on,” we are granted the best equipping and the greatest enabling to suffer and endure; HIS STRENGTH!

I realize that this can be such a challenge. We suffer from time to time from what my buddy Tom Thompson calls our “John Wayne…MACHO” nature.

We tell ourselves “I got this”, “Nope Pastor, I’m all GOOD”, “No need to pray for me, I’m cool.” But why?

Why do we do that WHEN GOD WANTS TO HELP?

Today, I want us and “GUY” to realize that until we are pushed beyond our OWN LIMITS we will never fully understand the supernatural power of Jesus Christ and to also remember a couple of VERY IMPORTANT truths for when we are in our weak moments.

1 Corinthians 10:!3

¹³ You have never been tempted to sin in any different way than other people. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can take. But when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin.

HE WILL MAKE A WAY…

AND…

Romans 8:38-39

For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot!

NOTHING!

Not even your weakest moments!

I will leave you with this today. A line from an old hymn…

“I am weak but thou art strong.

“Guide me Jesus from all wrong. “

“I’ll be satisfied as long. As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.”

Let Him help you today.

I love you all.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney