Trust

Trust is a hard action to follow through with in life especially when we have been served so many disloyal heaping spoonfuls from people we love. It doesn't matter who we are expected to trust, it's just hard. Why do we need to trust anyone? Should we trust anyone other than our Lord? Well, we seem to trust the driver while going shopping or to corner store. We trust the on coming traffic on a 2-way road that they won't steer into our lane and hit us head on. We sometimes trust our government and vote them in to office. We trust our spouse, children and co-workers. We trust drugs, pills, alcohol, our feelings. The old saying, "If I can only get this everything would be okay". Sure there is a multitude of trusting going on in life in general, but who or what do we trust with our life?

The word "Trust" occurs 125 times in the NKJV of the Bible from Deuteronomy to Hebrews. Many of the scriptures pose questions about who do you put your trust? Through many circumstances of life we trust without realizing who we trust in. Even when we think we have confidence in someone to bail us out or that they will keep a secret or even our closest friend they can fail us. The definition for the word "Trust" used as a verb is to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on, hope, to believe. This is a major decision to make when it involves our eternity. Can we trust tomorrow? Can we trust what someone says? Can we afford to put our trust in a substance or a feeling of security?

As we go through different circumstances in life we sometimes hit a brick wall and are forced to face the reality that we need to put our Trust in the Lord and in Him alone. It may be in the form of a jail sentence, a probation term, a marital breakup, loss of a loved one or losing our job of 20 years but if we will only Trust in the Lord in all circumstances He will carry us through any situation. He is only trying to mold us and shape us they He wants. He will give us strength and a new vision. The bible says that He is the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. The Wise Counselor. The Redeemer. Our Fortress and Strong Tower. It's interesting how that the very center of the bible is Psalm 118:8, "It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man."

Are you Trusting Him today with your life? Do you want to Trust Him today? Pray this prayer:
Dear Lord. I've failed you so many times. You've called me time after time and I have ignored You. I'm tired and weary. I can't find rest anywhere. I am desperate for You now, Lord Jesus. I have tried everything else and nothing has filled that emptiness inside. I Need You now, Lord Jesus! Your word says that if I confess Jesus Christ with my mouth and believe in my heart the God raised Him from the dead then I will be saved. I confess today Jesus Christ as my Lord! I believe that God, you raised him up to life. I receive You now Lord Jesus! Please forgive me from all my sin. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Help me to follow You and totally Trust in You in every circumstance.

Please let someone know that you received Him today. Email us at tgif@nbfbc.org

Being set free

It's hard to fathom what it really means to be set free. The question is often posed; "Am I set free from my sin?" Can a person really be set free from their addictions? Having a set free life means to be set free from ourselves. The first key issue is usually ourselves. The mind is where the true battle is and without the New Life in Christ we are still living the old.

We wake up in the morning and thoughts start going through our mind. We may think "I need to get this done or what about that problem or how can I get my fix today." We must realize that unless we work at changing our behavior and not following after the same or similar emotions, we are running around in circles. The bible says in Prov 3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths". We need to pray, "Lord what shall I do today?" or "How should I deal with this issue or addiction I am facing?" He will answer you and direct you to people and places where you can receive His instruction. We get in the way to often by listening to ourselves. God's will is different than ours.

I love the way Oswald Chambers speaks about our natural life, "God pays no attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual life. His plan runs right through our natural life." He may speak to us at home reading the Bible, online devotions, sermons at church, at recovery, at prayer meetings. We must make that decision to change the unhealthy habits that seem so normal. The old saying is true "If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always gotten." Make a decision today to follow God's way. It will be tough but the rewards will be great here on earth and in heaven.

Prayer: Father in heaven, I need you today to set me free. I can't find freedom in the same way I've always tried. I have failed and need redemption through Your Son, Jesus. Please forgive me and as I acknowledge you in all my ways, please direct my path. Give me the strength I need to face the issues, struggles and addictions. Give me the power to change my behaviors and learn how to hear You and to live the New Life in Christ.

Share...Share....Share

Hello Beloved in Christ.
It has been a while since I have posted anything. I took some time off to seek God for direction in my life.
I write today to encourage you to share. I have a tracking system on this site that let's me know about the page's web traffic, and visitor stats such as city, state, country and internet provider (don't worry it doesn't give me names and addresses). So I can keep track of all the visits. I am amazed at all the hits I have had in the 7 weeks that this site has been around, and I know it is God bringing the visitors in. He get's all the credit! So now I know you are visiting I dare you to share!

God uses us to minister. He works through us to reach the lost, brokenhearted and those in need of comfort. And he wants to use you! So today I encourage you to share. It could be your testimony, a bible verse, a poem or just words of wisdom God has given you, whatever it is pass it along, you never know who you just might help.

Choose any of the posts and click on comment. Then post whatever is on your heart and tell me you would like to share it. I will copy and paste it to the blog post so everyone can see it . You will get credit for the post, unless you want to remain anonymous, which is fine. You can also send your posts to the following email: setfreeministries@hotmail.com. Once again I ask you to reach out to someone in need and minister.
Thank You
Your Brother in Christ
John

What's wrong with me? Why can't I stop!!

What's wrong with you? Nothing. You're human. You are going to sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23" for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."(NKJV) It's a constant, if not daily, battle to live a Christian life. The Bible says in Galatians 5:17 " For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."(NKJV) The New Living Translation explains it in more detail, "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions." Even a great man of God, the Apostle Paul, struggled with it. Paul writes in Romans 7:19 "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (NIV). Of course, this does not mean it is okay to sin, just that it is nearly impossible not to,(notice I said nearly impossible, for it says in Matt. 10:27 " for with God all things are possible."), but God's ever abundant grace and mercy is upon us and He forgives us. Jesus paid our debt on the cross over 2000 years ago, and it is by His blood that we are forgiven.

So, how can you at least keep your sin nature under submission? Paul writes in Galatians 5:16 "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (NKJV), or as the NLT puts it, "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves." The key word in the First version is fulfill. It doesn't say you are not going to think about sin, but by walking in the Spirit you won't carry it out. By being in tune with the Holy Spirit you are guarded against taking action on your natural man's thoughts. You will not want to fulfill them, because you know it is wrong and against God's will for your life. The Holy Spirit is light and your sin nature is darkness, it is impossible for the two mix. Light always chases away darkness.

Walking in the Spirit, as said before, simply means letting the Holy Spirit guide your life, so it lines up with God's will. But with the distraction's that come with day to day life you might find it a bit challenging to maintain your walk continually. Therefore picture a miniature satellite dish inside your head that can only be tuned into the God Channel. Start off your day with prayer and bible reading, then throughout the day repeat a scripture that really ministers to you, or a play a praise song in your head, or simply talk to God. Doing these things moves the Holy Spirit that dwells within you and God communicates with us through His Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:14-16). So now the Spirit ministers to your heart, making it simpler to yield to what is right and to deny temptation. As your relationship with Jesus grows deeper, you will become less and less wanting of the "old things". Will there still be battles? Yes. Will there still be struggles? Yes. But remember: 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me

What do I do now?

What to do, what to do. Hmmm? You have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and are set free from your addiction or struggle, so you don't have that ball and chain to drag around anymore and you are wondering what do you do now since you have a little extra (or maybe a lot of extra) of time on your hands.
Here are some tips:

1.Read your Bible everyday, get into the word.God reveals Himself and speaks to you through His word. Also it is an instruction guide on living the Christian life.

2.Pray. Daily prayer is communication and fellowship with God. It's not just about asking for things, although that is ok, because God wants us to come to Him for our needs.Talk To God as you would a friend or family member. Pray for yourself; family; friends or your church, if you belong to one. Prayer along with Bible reading deepens your relationship with Christ, making it more intimate.


3.Join a Church. The Bible says we are the Body of Christ, and you are part of that body, Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 1 Corinthians 12:27. So become a part of a body of believers. Find a church that meets your spiritual needs or do what I did, pray and ask God to put you in the church he would have you belong to, either way is fine. Fellowshiping; worshiping and hearing the word of God together with other believers is an awesome experience and is a vital part of spiritual growth.
Prayer,
4.Join a Christian recovery or support group. Faith based recovery and support groups, whether 12 step or other format, are excellent sources in your journey to recovery.They offer help, hope and healing through the Lord Jesus. You will be with others who are going through or have gone through the same struggles and or addictions that you are. You will be able to discuss your problems with support and prayer from others, or you could give a testimony, and probably help someone else along the way. All in the name of Jesus.

I hope this helped you out. I strongly recommend 1-3, I believe God does too. Number 4 ....well it helped me greatly, so I recommend it also

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (NKJV)

Some days we don't feel so glad and we definitely don't feel like rejoicing. Days filled with problems, heartaches and just plain all around yuck! And to some one coming out of drug and alcohol addiction days like these make maintaining sobriety all the more difficult. You start wanting to resort to the old ways of coping, believe me I've been there. Oh I still have cruddy days that are never over soon enough, but what we have to realize is the bad days, just like the good days, are created by and belong to God.

Just because we're having a horrible day doesn't mean we have to wallow in it. Remember Jesus still reigns on His throne. He is still the Prince of Peace, The Great Comforter, Wonderful Counselor, King of Kings and Lord of our lives, and forever will be! You can muster up enough strength to give a shout out to Jesus. Forget about yourself and your circumstances for a minute, because it's all about Him, not us, and thank Him for the day. Say, Lord thank you for this day which you have made, because it's another day I'm alive, another day I'm sober, another day I have with you in my Life. Soon your day won't seem as bad. I'm not saying stuff will stop happening, but now His Holy Spirit is Stirred up in you and has become a shield for all the bullets, arrows and fiery darts that are coming at you.

So remember this is the day that the Lord has made rejoice! and be glad in it, you will be happy that you did.

2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (NKJV)

Now with our face uncovered (Moses wore a veil over his face when he came down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, because God's Glory reflected off his face and shone so bright the the Israelites were afraid to look upon it. Exodus 34: 28-29), as if looking in a mirror, we reflect the Glory of God. And as the Holy Spirit works Within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His Glory even more!
Simply put; the more we grow in the Lord, the more we glow like the Lord!