Here is a sobering quote from John Piper on addiction from Hebrews 2:15….

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

“Have you ever asked yourself how much addiction and personality dysfunction and disordered lifestyle may originate in the repressed fear of death? Very few people live their daily lives with the conscious fear of death in their minds. Yet this text says that Christ came to die for people ‘who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.’ There is something profound here. The point is not that people are enslaved to a constant, conscious fear of dying, but that they are enslaved to a thousand ways of avoiding this fear” (Future Grace, p.354).

Why do Christians struggle with addictions? I can look at the emptiness and vanity of the world, and understand readily enough why a man with no eternal hope would seek solace in a state of chemically induced forgetfulness; but why would a Christian want to forget his life? And make no mistake, that is where habits and addictions begin, in a desire to leave reality in the rearview mirror. Whether it is forgetting past hurts, feelings of uselessness, loneliness, or any other number of reasons, it is all rooted in a deep dissatisfaction with some facet of life.

A man sits at his computer in the small hours of the night taking fire into his bosom, ignoring the voices of conscience and Spirit because for a few moments the voices that remind him of his loneliness are silent, and sensual images tell him that he is truly wanted and desirable: he is a real man.

A mother opens another bottle, telling herself once more that this is the last time, that tomorrow she will face the bitterness in her soul from abuse years past, but she only needs to forget for a time.

So why does it seem to make no difference in so many lives that they know God? Because it is simply easier to believe the voice that says “you cannot trust God, he has let you down”, than to trust in the promise that He is in control and works all to their eventual good. The result of a chemical is a known quantity; trusting is not. So many Christians would rather take the handling of pain into their own hands, even knowing the debilitating consequences, than to trust that God is everything that He says He is.

Maybe the reason that we don’t trust Him is the same reason that at thief trusts no one: he is afraid that others are like him! We are completely unfaithful and untrustworthy, and so it is hard for us to imagine that He can be trusted with every problem and need in our lives. If only we got a clear picture of who Christ is!

Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the 19th century, said this of His newfound Redeemer:

“I want none beside Him. In life, He is my life; and in death, He shall be the death of death; in poverty, Christ is my riches; in sickness, He makes my bed; in darkness, He is my Star; and in brightness, He is my Sun. By faith I understand that the blessed Son of God redeemed my soul with His own heart’s blood; and by sweet experience I know that He raised me up from the pit of dark despair, and set my feet on the Rock. He died for me. This is the root of every satisfaction I have.

Are you dissatisfied with life? The root of your dissatisfaction comes from a lack of abiding in the Vine!

Col 2:6  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Col 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Do you remember how precious Christ was to you that hour that you realized that He was everything, and you were nothing, and clung to Him for salvation? You will never destroy the weeds of dissatisfaction with habits and addictions; make the joy of the Lord your strength!

Moses’ first reaction to God was, “Here am I!”, he was open and listening. His next response was just as vital:  “Who am I?”

Exo 3:11  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Moses realized that he was a nobody. I think that we approach God sometimes like we are somebody. Don’t get me wrong, if we are saved, God has made us a new creature, and has given us the righteousness of Christ. He told us that we can come boldly before Him, but we need to realize like the apostle Paul did, that the only good thing that dwells in us is Jesus Christ!

God wanted to use Moses and make him into a great leader, but God’s purpose was always to bring glory to Himself, not to Moses. Even the Egyptian Pharaoh had been put in his position of power for this reason:

Exo 9:16  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Do you wonder sometimes why you do not see God’s power on your life, that He doesn’t seem to bless you or use you in any great way? Remember your purpose! Does your life say “I am nothing and He is everything”, or, “I am everything and He is great as long He makes me look good..”

He is not very interested in building our name, but we who know who He is have every reason to build His!

If you read the story of how God brought the nation of Israel out of slavery, it almost reads like an exercise is futility: over and over God is faithful to His promises, delivering them from every enemy, providing for their every need, only to see them rebel again and again.

No matter how great His provision for them, it seems like they doubted Him at every step. Over and over God had to discipline them to get their heads back in the game: plagues, fire from Heaven, and even the earth swallowing people whole.

So we come in the story to Numbers 23: God has only just sent poisonous snakes into the camp because of their rebellion, and a man named Balak, an enemy king, asks a prophet of God to curse Israel so that he can defeat them in battle, and God’s instructions to the prophet are simply incredible. God tells him to bless them instead:

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Num 23:20  Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

This is mercy enough, that God refuses to allow their enemies to defeat them, but then He says this:

Num 23:21  He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

The prophet must have been thinking, “Is their another Israel I don’t know about???? No iniquity?” Did God have terrible short-term memory? The answer is yes, and no. Obviously an all-knowing wise God is no fool, He knew exactly what they had done, and all the sin that they would do in the future, but He intentionally turned His face away from their sin.

Did you know that is exactly what God does with everyone who has accepted Christ as their Savior?

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Psa 103:10  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Psa 103:11  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Psa 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Psa 103:13  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

All the condemnation for your sin was placed on Christ as He took the penalty for you on the cross of Calvary! When God looks at you He sees none of your sins, none of your failures: past, present, and future! Not only does He not see your sin, He sees something you could never have in your own power:

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith

He gives us Christ’s own righteousness! When He looks at a person washed in the blood of Christ, He sees the perfection and purity of His own Son. If you are a Christian, don’t let Satan keep you down by reminding you of past failures and sins, remember who Christ has made you, and then live like it!

Have you ever wondered how to have God’s power in your life? How to have a life-changing relationship with God? I have!

I often read of the men and women in the Bible that God used tremendously to change the world and advance His kingdom, and I think, “How in the world can I have that kind of relationship with God?”

One of those men is Moses. Few people in history have ever had a closer relationship with God, and seen His power like Moses. I was reading his story in Exodus a few days ago, and I noticed some things about his initial experience with God that shaped the rest of his life.

God had chosen Moses to be the instrument He would use to bring His people out of slavery, and God appeared to Moses on a desert mountain in the form of a burning bush. God gave him instructions and encouragement, and what really struck me was the way that Moses responded to God, and I think that if we would have the same attitudes as Moses it would totally change our relationship with God.

1. Here am I!

God called to Moses, and told him to come nearer. God could have just grabbed him and made him do whatever God wanted him to, but that is the great way that God works! He calls us, and then leaves the decision up to us. Moses’ reaction was an immediate, “here am I!” He was saying that God had his full attention, he was listening to what God wanted to tell him instead of just running his mouth.

Some people think, “well, if God would show Himself to me then I would listen and obey too!” Well, He did write you a letter with some pretty specific instructions!

Everyone and their dog prays, but how different would our lives be if we stopped talking and started listening! Pick up your Bible this week (not once, but every morning!), and start with the attitude and prayer of “Here am I, God please tell me what you want me to do.” That is a prayer that God always answers!

I was just reading over Deuteronomy 5 in my Bible this morning, and I came to a very familiar passage to most people: the Ten Commandments.

What comes to your mind when you think of the Ten Commandments? How do you react to God’s most basic rules? Most people react one of two ways:

1) Outward conformity to morality. God said it, I do it, that is what the Ten Commandments mean to me.

2) Outright rebellion. God said it, I don’t want to, tell Him to keep His commandments to Himself.

Even those who obey (myself included) have a tendency to look at the Ten Commandments as a hard list of rules that are set down by a hard God that demands perfection. But ask yourself this: where is God’s heart in all this? What does He really want to accomplish by giving us these guidelines? One of the reasons that the Bible is so amazing and wonderful is that God more often than not lays His heart bare to us, he doesn’t hide His motivations. Read verse 29:

Deuteronomy 5:29 “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

Everyone knows that God wants us to fear Him and keep His commandments, but notice the first part of the verse: God doesn’t say “oh that they would just obey me”, He says “oh that there were such an heart in them!”

Believe it or not, God didn’t create you just so that you would mindlessly do whatever He said. He created you because He wants you to choose to have a personal relationship with Him, and obey Him from a heart of love!

Secondly, notice His reasoning for wanting them to have this heart to obey: That it might be well with them! He didn’t say so that it would be well with Him, our obedience or disobedience to Him will never change the fact that He is God, self-sufficient, self-existing, and perfectly right and holy. I think it is pretty much a given that things will be well with God! His concern is for us! Here’s a great parallel passage:

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

We obey from love, and His commandments are not grievous, or hurtful. They are there for our protection, to give us a better life and relationship with Him. True liberty is not freedom from rules: you only exchange boundaries for bondage!

Which one are you, outwardly conforming to a list of rules but not drawing close to God in your heart, or rebelling against boundaries because you think that His commandments are too restrictive? I challenge you to really get into the Bible and see God’s heart for yourself. Draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you; it is all about relationship, not religion or rules!

Proverbs 9:17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

I remember when I first started school as a little kid. I was four years old, and Kindergarten bored me to death. I wanted to be free to run and play and do whatever I wanted.
So, after a few weeks of tedious obedience, I made my break. The class lined up for the morning ritual: stand in single file, walk down past the first graders, don’t talk, don’t touch the wall, find your seat, listen and learn. Yeah right, that’s for the little tools, not this kid!
I made sure to be the last one in line, and when the teacher looked the other way, I slipped out of line and behind a holly bush. The stickers hurt, but what’s a little pain compared to the sweet, sweet taste of freedom?
I will never forget the excitement of seeing all the other kids go inside to class, and running as fast as I could to the playground; it was all mine! I swung on the swings, I spun on the merry-go-round, and had a blast. I remember thinking how odd it was that it was more fun when it was not allowed than when we all took our recess together.
I wish I could say that the rush never stopped, that consequences never arose, but alas; it was not to be! Even though my young mind was talented enough to fool my teacher, it completely froze when I was accosted by another adult who saw me in the playground. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” she asked. My response failed to impress: “Ummm…. no?”
Several spankings and lectures later (by principal and mother both) I found myself back in class with the tools. But I had a taste of the stolen water, and I wanted more…
Odds are, you can probably tell a similar story from your childhood, and even from your adult years. Part of our fallen nature as sinful human beings is that hunger and enjoyment of pleasures that are forbidden to us.
Remember that Eve in the Garden of Eden had to be coaxed and cajoled and persuaded by the serpent to disobey; we need no such prodding! All we need is for someone to tell us “no”, and we have to have it. All too often we fall into this trap, and then find out the truth of the next verse:
“Pro 9:18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. “
The Bible tells us that there is pleasure in sin for a season, and stolen waters are sweet. When we let our flesh control us, and we give in to lusts, it is pleasurable, but there are consequences that we will not like. In other words, every sin has its kicks, but every sin also has its kickbacks!
The price for sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and that price has been paid for everyone that has accepted Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf, but there is a price for sin as a Christian as well. We lose that closeness and fellowship with God that is sweeter than any sin! David said in Psalm 28:1,
“Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”
David compared losing his fellowship with the Lord to being just like one who is condemned. He wasn’t losing his salvation, but his earthly life would be just the same as one who was destined for hell.
Have you been missing out on the blessings of God because of stolen water and secret bread? Have you noticed that God just isn’t using your life for something greater than yourself, for His glory?
Maybe it is that habit of looking at things that you shouldn’t, or that drink that no one else sees or knows about. Maybe it is just that “water-cooler relationship” with a person of the opposite sex at work that you flirt with and never tell your spouse about.
The enemy knows exactly what secret bread that you like best, and will always give you the opportunity to sneak away and have a taste. Next time he offers it to you, remember what you are giving up by giving in!

We had a great meeting this week, with 13 in attendance. We studies the first of the 10 RU principles: “If God is against it, so am I!” We cannot just be apathetic about things that God hates, it is not enough to just do our best to try to avoid them: we need to have the same mind as God about sin.

Romans 12:9 says:

“Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

We have had a great response from church members coming to be a blessing. It is so great to be a member of a church like Vision where people have a genuine heart to know God better and more personally, and also to be used to impact other lives for Christ!

Steve Curington, founder of Reformers Unanimous, sends out a daily Bible blog that it full of great practical truths. Here is one from this week about our position in Christ. To subscribe to this blog, go to http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101596313273, and simply enter your email address!

Bible Blog: “Position is not some sort of superstition!”

Our Quote for Today:

“Exercising His faith rather than mine own places Christ into my hearts meditations.  And it is my meditations ON Him that maintains my position IN him when the world, the flesh and the devil are in severe attack mode!”

Seventy five times the Apostle Paul told us to situate ourselves IN Christ.  Jesus taught us to ‘abide IN me” over 25 times.  Where we are standing is not a superstition.  It’s a position.  When we position ourselves IN Christ and remain there during intense temptations and trials our abiding relationship with Him (the vine) gives us (the branch) the ability to be anything and do everything He would require of us.

But so often we find ourselves out of position, spiritually speaking.  We look to the Lord (from whence cometh our help) but not until we are in a jam.  Our walk with God is intended to be a momentum building experience that lasts throughout the day.  It’s not only motivational, directional and integral.  It is supernatural!  If we snooze we will always lose.   I don’t know about you but that uninterrupted 45 minutes to an hour with the Lord is the most attacked portion of my day.  Nothing is harder for my stubborn flesh than early morning walks with the Lord.  But absent of my walk, I am weak and can do nothing! (John 15 various verses)

In Ephesians 3 Paul prayed that God would grant the believers a most specific need in all Christendom.  “That he would grant you . . . to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”  This verse clearly teaches that the strength we need is not physical or soulical for the sake of our natural man, but rather spiritual for the sake of our inner man.  My spirit and His Spirit dwell together in my inner man and when that relationship is strengthened then something supernatural takes place in my heart (that is to say my meditatonal thoughts).  What is that supernatural phenomenon?

It is the thoughts of Christ’s mind dwelling in my meditations.  Paul puts it this way in the very next verse “That Christ may dwell in your hearts. . .”  But how does that happen?  How else would it happen but (the next two words of the verse say) “by faith. . .”?  When we by faith recognize His presence within us we can ascertain His persuasion for us and find the strength in our inner man to respond purely to our adversary the devil.

The end result of His persuasive presence in my hearts meditations is not only the strength of my inner man but he concludes that I will be “rooted and grounded in love.”  When my whole being is properly rooted in His love, yielding to His faith, I will find the things of this world growing strangely dim and the presence of His persuasion to be the normality of illumination.

Reformers Unanimous was started by a remarkable man with an amazing testimony of the power of God to heal a broken life. This is his story; please read it, I know it will encourage you!

Most people would say I had the perfect upbringing. My Christian family attended church nearly every Sunday and put me through Christian school. However, within two years after graduation, I was hopelessly addicted to cocaine and alcohol. How in the world could something like this happen to someone like me?

Addiction had stripped me of all my self-esteem, a prosperous career, and crippled me with debt. At the age of 28, I nearly died in a drunk driving accident. With a punctured lung quickly drowning me in my own blood, I cried out to God, “I don’t want to die!” My memory went blank after that point.

A lifesaving call by an unknown woman to 911 rescued me from death. Later, I would discover the reasons for God’s divine intervention that night.

As I lay in a hospital bed for over a week, no one I ever drank or used drugs with came to visit me. None of my so-called friends came to see me. The only one who came and visited me was a former Sunday School teacher from my old church. He gave me a Bible and asked me to read it. He told me to start in the book of John. In this book, God shows us how much He loves us. When I got to John 8:32, I read, “And you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free.” At that moment, I remembered a verse that I had memorized as a youth – John 14:6– where Jesus said “…I am the Truth.” I realized for the first time that if Jesus is the Truth, then John 8:32 actually meant that if you know Jesus, then Jesus will make you free!

My first step was to get back in church. After I left the hospital, I visited the church where I worshipped as a child. That is where God began to change my life. I got assurance of my salvation. I was no longer “lost.” I had been “found.” Over the course of about six months of learning, God began removing my addictions. I then began teaching a Bible study that ballooned to over two hundred people per week. I wrote a complete addiction recovery curriculum teaching the things I learned in those months. Other churches started their own “chapters” of our Bible study format called Reformers Unanimous. Now, we have hundreds of chapters in churches across America. Each Reformers Unanimous teaches the steps that lead to blessings from God. For me, those blessings consist of a beautiful wife, our precious children, a debt-free lifestyle, a career that led me to an executive position in the petroleum industry, and now, founder and president of the fastest growing, faith-based addictions program in America. God has done all of this. The best I could do for myself was a life crippled by addiction, debt, and misery. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The lady who saved my life by calling 911– she ended up being the mother of the young lady I met and eventually married after I went back to church. Wow! God is greater than all my sin!