Revealer and Healer
Jude 1:24-25 (New International Version)
Doxology 24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
"Able to keep from falling"
I've been thinking lately about the inherited aspect of behaviour. Our parents and grandparents may have passed down heirlooms we cherish--but they probably also passed down less desirable things--generational patterns of sin and dysfunction.
That was my sudden realization and challenge a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about my struggle with addictive eating in the post entitled, "One Day at a Time."
In my life I could see it. Alcoholism was one of the addictive strongholds over our family, along with a spirit of control.
I didn't always see the connection between alcoholism and addictive spending and eating, but spiritually it is the same stronghold--addiction.
Control was something I was blind to until God opened my eyes this past spring. Thank God that he doesn't reveal without being ready and willing to heal--and he has been.
At the time I wrote about my struggles with food I felt helpless. It seemed important to be honest about that. But there was something more--the faith factor.
Does faith make any difference in this kind of struggle? I thought that it had to--but I had to admit that I hadn't yet experienced victory in this area.
Then I opened the drawer in my bathroom that is full of reading material and pulled out a little In Touch magazine to read. There in an article written by Charles Stanley, was the answer--the struggle was not mine at all. The key was allowing Christ to live his life through my area of weakness.
I rolled out the red carpet of my tongue and invited him into the throne room of my appetite! I needed to move over and allow him to take his place in that area of my life.
The potential weakness is there--and I think it always will be--but I am noticing a freedom I haven't had before. He promises that when we are weak, he will be our strength.
I don't want to live a show of faith without experiencing the power he promised. I want to declare before the world that he is bigger than any addiction--he is more powerful than any stronghold and he paid the price so that we could live in freedom.
So let's step out and start living.
Isaiah 42:6 (New Living Translation)
6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness...
Doxology 24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
"Able to keep from falling"
I've been thinking lately about the inherited aspect of behaviour. Our parents and grandparents may have passed down heirlooms we cherish--but they probably also passed down less desirable things--generational patterns of sin and dysfunction.
That was my sudden realization and challenge a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about my struggle with addictive eating in the post entitled, "One Day at a Time."
In my life I could see it. Alcoholism was one of the addictive strongholds over our family, along with a spirit of control.
I didn't always see the connection between alcoholism and addictive spending and eating, but spiritually it is the same stronghold--addiction.
Control was something I was blind to until God opened my eyes this past spring. Thank God that he doesn't reveal without being ready and willing to heal--and he has been.
At the time I wrote about my struggles with food I felt helpless. It seemed important to be honest about that. But there was something more--the faith factor.
Does faith make any difference in this kind of struggle? I thought that it had to--but I had to admit that I hadn't yet experienced victory in this area.
Then I opened the drawer in my bathroom that is full of reading material and pulled out a little In Touch magazine to read. There in an article written by Charles Stanley, was the answer--the struggle was not mine at all. The key was allowing Christ to live his life through my area of weakness.
I rolled out the red carpet of my tongue and invited him into the throne room of my appetite! I needed to move over and allow him to take his place in that area of my life.
The potential weakness is there--and I think it always will be--but I am noticing a freedom I haven't had before. He promises that when we are weak, he will be our strength.
I don't want to live a show of faith without experiencing the power he promised. I want to declare before the world that he is bigger than any addiction--he is more powerful than any stronghold and he paid the price so that we could live in freedom.
So let's step out and start living.
Isaiah 42:6 (New Living Translation)
6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness...
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