From the frying pan to the fire

 I am compelled to put words to paper because I am unable to express them to those who need it most. So in the event that these words help someone who actually is ready to hear, then praise God it helped someone.

Where to start… Lord help me with the words to seep into their hearts and know that You are trying to reach them.

Stepping out of darkness

I watch so many of you come into the Adult & Teen Challenge program. This program, through Christ, leads you to the person that you were meant to be and breaks the bondage of substance abuse, self abuse and shame.

Most of you in the world will never know how it feels to watch someone transform from being all spun out on drugs and/or alcohol to being filled with the peace that surpasses all understanding and freed from a life of conviction and shame.

It isn’t an easy road for these men, women, boys and girls. No one has the ability to beat themselves up over and over like humans do. If what you see in the world is all that you know, and you haven’t had a loved one lost in the darkness of addiction, then you don’t really see the whole picture. Even then, if but once you could see what we see at Adult & Teen Challenge, it would change your life.

I would say that the hardest part (that I see) of healing and changing is the guilt and shame that they have for their actions, the loss of relationship with close family members and friends, the inability to eradicate the memories of what they have done and been from their own minds. Nothing you can say or do is as bad as what they say and do to themselves for their sins. Thus, they live with the self-abuse, cutting, selling themselves, allowing themselves to be used and abused and numbing themselves with drugs and alcohol. Essentially, they allow themselves to become a throw away in society because they feel as if they deserve nothing more. It is a very real possibility that someone in their life, sick of their misdeeds, told them that at one point or another.

Please keep in mind that much of their shame comes from what others have done to them. Many have fathers, uncles, brothers, family friends violating their innocence at very young ages. I have heard stories from the students about those who were supposed to be a trusted member of their family, who stole their childhood and tried to convince them that it was their fault. And in the case where they tried to tell their mother, were slapped, yelled at and disbelieved... even kicked out into the streets to fend for themselves. Keep in mind, while I hear it more from women, because I am one, the men are also victims of this.

Many of the students actually have step-parents who came into their lives and made them feel as if they were ‘less than’ their own children or made it clear they weren’t wanted. As a result, their own parent basically chose that significant other over protecting their own child. What a dark place to be, when you feel that you don’t have a home, are unwanted, unprotected… because, often times, abuse follows.

Then there are those whose own parents gave them their first joint, beer, needle, or whatever. Because those parents were lost in addiction and darkness and didn’t have the capacity to think like a rational adult.

We see gang bangers who have thought nothing of robbing, killing, prostituting or destroying others for their gain, for their next fix. Some real hard-liners who have done time and have one more shot to straighten up or go away forever. They walk in with the scars from battle and tats from the streets looking like someone your mama warned you about. You have no idea what it is to watch a grown hard-liner come into this program, and in a month or so, watch them raise their hands to the Lord and drop to their knees crying for the things they have done… for the things they have been. We get to witness true remorse and repentance, not the skim the surface, say it and then continue doing wrong type of remorse that the world partakes in. They come from no hope to THE hope. They come from darkness to the Light. They come from the lies of the evil one about who they are to the Truth about who they are in Christ! They find peace and joy for the first time in their lives.

I could go on… but I won’t. Suffice to say, these are the people who come through our doors. These are the weary, downtrodden, broken and ashamed.

Matthew 11: 28-29: ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

With all of the brokenness that they have faced in their lives, is it any wonder that 30 days won’t fix the problem? Our program is a minimum of 13 months because that gives them time to ask the hard questions, to dig deep, to learn about God, His love for them and how He sees them. Our program has no hard limit to how long you can stay. Our director says, it takes what it takes. In order to rebuild them in Christ’s image, we have to let them strip down to the very core of what they believe about themselves and replace it with Truth. For some, it is a quick work. For others, it is heart wrenching and difficult.

This program is truly God’s work in this dark world. We get to watch these broken lives slowly detox and become alert and alive. It is like watching them fight their way out of the dark sea of despair, rising to the top and realizing there is life for the first time in a long time. It is a battle to get through the shakes, the sickness, the exhaustion, their fleshly desires that scream out at them to use… trying to pull them under once again. It truly is a spiritual a battle for their souls. And it can look very much like an exorcism at times. At this phase, they are literally in crisis and that is what we call it. They can be in crisis mode for 45-90 days depending on what they are coming off of. They are surrounded by those who have been through it themselves, who come along side them with love, encourage them and understand them.

When they get through the worst of it, it is time for them to start learning about God and themselves so that they can dig deep and change the thoughts and behaviors that make them stumble over and over again. This part has several phases where they progress in knowledge and understanding of themselves and their relationship with God. They learn how to self-evaluate and trouble shoot if you will, so that they start to look at why they do what they do, what they were thinking and what the bible says about it. There is more to it than that, but that is the basics.

So when I see them in crisis and over the months, watch them slowly become happy, feeling safe and grateful… I am excited to imagine what God has in store for them. You would be in awe at what peeling back layers and layers of sin, guilt and shame will reveal! It is such a miracle. They recognize that there is another way, they are loved, they are worthy and they choose life!

Eventually, they are able to reach out to those safe people in their lives and attempt restoration of relationship. We have monthly baptisms for those that wish to be baptized. Restoration abounds with children who can see the men and women again, parents who begin to trust the transformation and start coming to visit, siblings that slowly want to be a part of their lives again. The joy, the tears of restoration, the love restored… it is priceless.

On the other hand, some family and friends fail to see the fragile nature of this new creation in Christ. They don’t think about the daily Spiritual battle for their souls. They don’t understand that they need to be supportive and clean and not enabling. They fail to realize that the students fleshly pattern is to be master manipulators and old habits die hard.

Ephesians 6: 13-18: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

While the students have learned new techniques and thought processes, the families and friends are still where they were. They are still enablers, partakers, partiers, abusers and bangers. It is very difficult for a new creation to enter into the same worldly environment that took them down into darkness and not get caught up in the same old hype. They NEED to stay grounded in Christ. They NEED to have daily devotions. They NEED to network with fellow Christians and people who are sensitive to their vulnerabilities. They need people who will set aside their own desires to avoid causing these students to stumble. They need to remember where the battle grounds are and prepare daily for it.

Romans 14: 13-23: Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.¹⁶ So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

²⁰ Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ²¹ It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^[a] 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^[b]

Losing the battle, winning the war

Yes, we have lost a few. And gained them back… and lost them… and gained them back…

While most are successful and complete the program, some fail to recognize where the true battle lies and they allow their flesh to lead them astray. There is rarely anything more painful to see than when they are freed from their demons, are moving in the right direction and they choose to return to the streets for one more high. Some leave several times just to come back worse than they were before.

I plead with you now, STOP! I watched Him restore you and give you a joy that surpassed all understanding. I watched as you gave your life in service to Him and became a spokesperson against the sins of the world. I watched as others found forgiveness and love as you led them to the Lord. I watched your children, your family and your friend’s lives transformed by the love of Christ that they saw in YOU! The restoration and faith that ripples through those you love ripples even as you turned from Christ and chose another path!

I pleaded with you to stay with God’s purpose for your life and not be concerned with such worldly things as money, cars and sin. I reminded you that your heart is so big that only the love from such a program can fill you the way that you need to be filled. I told you the world had nothing for you and it would be pointless and unfulfilling to live in a dark, unappreciative world. With tears and pleading, I asked you so many times to turn from your sin that you will not reach out to me anymore. Now look!!!! What I had warned against has happened. It is only by the grace of God that someone hasn’t died from your choices!

I watched you choose sin at a time when God was blessing you! God had you in His hands and entrusted you with His children. I watched you succumb to the flesh and do what shouldn’t be done. I watched you betray your salvation and claim exemption for the thing that you continued to do.

At the same time, did you not notice that your life was falling away from God? You can say that you were busy, you worked too hard or needed money… but you chose to stop seeking Him when you started sinning in His presence. He allowed your heart to harden because of your sin! You stopped worshiping Him. You stopped seeking Him daily. You said as much! That alone should have frightened you! It isn’t enough that you try to live a double life in front of those that you were supposed to be an example for, so you chose more fleshly desires.

2 Peter 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

Romans 9:18: So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

After choosing sin once, you also chose to partake in the same substances that brought you down the first time. And that choice took you out of His service and will for your life! You became engrained in the darkness of the world. Only this time, you fell farther than before. All the things you were spokesperson against, you became. Do you not see that once you know and you turn your back, He WILL let you go and it will be worse than before?!

Luke 11: 24-26: 24 When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first.”

You didn’t just stop leaning to God, you didn’t just make choices that affect others walk with Him, you didn’t just choose to sin in the flesh, to violate His laws of nature, to hold your fleshly desires as idols above God… you jumped into the darkness with both feet! Your flesh is your master! All that you worked so hard to restore is unraveled and laying at His feet because you stripped down to nothing and made your choice against Him the day you chose to sin in His service. You cannot escape repentance unless you are choosing death!

He restored you and you repaid Him by your unbelief and sin. You gave up your sword for the bottle; you betrayed others for your flesh. Your family mourns for you once again. The trust that was restored in your children is gone. You have wiped out your reputation as His child by your misdeeds. You have turned your back on the One who gave you life!

You could easily lose your life while in sin! You could easily make a choice that leads to someone else’s death and the living torment that would cause in your huge heart would be almost insurmountable! At what point do you stop being so prideful and stubborn and humble yourself before the Lord once again. Admit you have sinned and turned from Him and plead for forgiveness!!

And you seek the old sinful friends out to find comfort where there was only filth and shame. Shame on those who cater to your addictions and sin! Especially those in your circle of friends and family!!! I cannot fathom how they can justify even discussing drug use and drinking with a former addict let alone feeding the habit to help bring you down. I wonder if they just love to see you fall so they can say it was all a lie? What on earth are you thinking? What are they thinking?  “You want a pill, sure! You want a needle? Sure! You want to go drinking! Sure! Glad you are back, we missed you! You are so funny when you are high! No, don’t worry about it! Here are the keys to your car. Go kill yourself or someone else!”

My bad…truth is love

You said that you don’t want to be judged so you started to separate yourself from those who love you. You call it judgment; we call it love and truth… intervention. Would we be better to hang out with if we just pretended that you aren’t destroying your life? We just want to make sure it doesn’t end in death… yours or someone else’s. Most of those in the world are fine with not dealing with that confrontation. I am not. I love you too much.

You can out run me. You can shut me out. You can continue in sin. I won’t stop praying for you, loving you and interceding for you. You cannot run from God.

REPENT! Go back to the program that saved you! Do the real work! The hard work! Understand that He hasn’t stopped loving you. You are still the one that he left the 99 for! But the work is yours to do! You walked away, it is up to you to walk back! Reconnect with Him!

Acts 3:19: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Valley of the Shadow of Death

                                                                                                  

We are at war and the war is not just Spiritual; it is physical! I am watching my family fall apart before my eyes! My health issues are nothing compared to the destruction that is happening to this world and in my own family! I watch them run towards destruction wasting their bodies and their minds to avoid feeling!!! I watch them make choices that will affect them and their families and their generations until they rise up and use the strength and power that can be their inheritance! The world raises them to fear and brokenness instead of love and compassion. They perpetuate this broken, weak mentality and use it to their own detriment! Our sickness and disease is visited on generations to come as a curse! We must break the cycle!!!

Exodus 34:6-7:   “…..The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,7maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, a forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means excuse the guilty; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Drugs violate our society and rape our women; it uses and abuses our men and leaves them all to wither and rot until there is nothing left! The world revolves around power, greed and vanity as if they are badges of honor instead of the corrupt, vile things that distort our world into the selfish and self-centered existence that our youth believe is normal. Etiquette, decency, morals, values, honor, integrity… where did they fall? I feel like we, the warriors of prayer and hope, grab at it and try to hold it in our hands like sand but it slips through to fall with the millions of other niceties that we have lost.

I cry out to those of you in darkness and I plead with you now! How long will you do this to yourselves and everyone around you? When will you recognize the signs and turn your life back to Him? How much are you willing to lose? You cannot be half in! You are knowingly putting idols above God and allowing it to plunge you further into darkness and bondage! Your children follow you to the depths of hell! Love them more than yourselves and hear His cries to you! You love to hide and numb yourself to your true heart’s desire. You fill it with waste and want and noise when it instinctually shoves it all aside and greedily screams that it isn’t enough! You can’t bury your wounds in alcohol, drugs, power, vanity or money! It is nothing but deception meant to keep you lost in your darkness. You would rather hide inside your destruction than turn to a world that cares nothing for you! But you are wrong!!

You find solace in it for a moment but what does it take? It takes your youth, your family, your health, your future, your salvation, your Hope! You can’t do life over; it is lost forever. The paths you choose, the choices you make, they leave an indelible mark in your genetic code! Your face and body withers and becomes rot. The bags under your eyes, diseases from your shared sin, wrinkles where the muscle used to be, sores you wear shamefully on your face while you sniffle and root for more makes you look less than human!

What do I have that makes me different? What do those who have Hope turn to? Assurance of love and eternity. John 10: 1-21:

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

for the sake of His name.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,a

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

The darkness grows in this world like a plague while our values and love for each other declines! THERE IS HOPE! He cries out to you but you drown Him out with your distractions. He sees who you were meant to be! He MADE you and destined your steps before life entered you, before you chose to step away! He knows what plans that He has for you.

 Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

It is the truth and the light of the world! You can find peace and comfort and love! By the Love and Power of Christ, we can give you comfort and nourishment. We can feed your souls and restore your health and sanity by the power of His mercy and Grace! It is real! It is True!

Daniel 2 :21: He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.

 Mat 7:7-8:Ask and it will be given to you; seek andyou will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.…

You ask for help; it is here but YOU have to be willing with do the hard stuff, through the strength of God. You can learn to rely on His strength and wisdom and be surrounded by the love and compassion that we all ache for! Be surrounded by people who have broken through the darkness and it’s walls and are safely on the other side living in Love and Hope. They are warriors of the Light who have been through the darkness and found their way Home.

Are you tired of your wounds? Are you tired of being homeless and hungry? Are you tired of chasing the shadow of who you were supposed to be and coming up empty?

Are you, or someone you know, struggling with brokenness and darkness? Please reach out for help. Stop the cycle of brokenness and destruction! Many centers, like the one in Monterey Bay have no intake fees!

Adult & Teen Challenge USA https://teenchallengeusa.org/centers We are world wide now!!!

 From the Teen Challenge USA website: "The biggest difference between us and a traditional recovery center is our focus on Christ. We call this the “Jesus Factor.” Our program focuses on the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to give our students a guiding light. We encourage our students to form a stronger connection to their faith. This makes a huge difference in their recovery. We provide a faith-based environment to encourage healing and a new life in Christ. We instill Biblical teachings into our daily routines. We give our students the tools they need to empower themselves through God.

Throughout the years, studies have been conducted about our process. These studies show that faith in God is the main reason our students are still sober after completing the program.

Our programs usually last 12-18 months. This gives our students the time they need to reconnect with God and form a strong connection. The combination of Christian values and a long recovery period makes all the difference. Our length of stay is another big reason that our students avoid relapse. It gives them the time they need to heal and think about who they can be without depending on drugs and alcohol. They are able to create a real and meaningful connection to God."

Is it time, Lord?

                                                                                                                             

Last night, at 58 years old, I lay in bed trying to sleep like I always do. There was nothing unusual about this night. Well… other than being sick with another cold and having some heart problems of late that hasn’t been diagnosed yet.  I wasn’t laying there trying to remember. I was just doing what I always do at night. And yet, it felt like God was gifting me with the memories that I had spent decades without. It wasn’t a punishment. It was like He was saying, “You had far more good memories than bad and it is time that you make them a part of who you are.” My first question to God was, “Is this your way of telling me that I am going to die soon and you want me to have them back before I go?” Obviously, I got no answer.

I always envied people who had a past and could remember childhood friends and teachers and specifics about their lives. It seems that whenever I moved away, I also moved on and lost touch. You could say that I purposely seemed to cut ties. I look back now and wonder if I did that so that I couldn’t be reminded of the bad that I had lived through or had done.

Anyways, as my mom used to say, I tried to position myself to be able to breathe through one nostril, and a flood of childhood memories came to me. I mean, not just a thought here and there. But my mind was actually flying through them like high speed internet and almost all of them were good memories. Imagine your mind skimming over 50 years of memories in a single night! The ones that weren’t good memories were no longer painful but I felt a sense of reflection as I cringed and repented for any part I may have had. My mind flew through almost all of the names of children that I played with, times that I spent the night at a friend’s house, wandering through the woods alone to search for goose berries, admiring Maleta’s magnificent garden, catching lightening bugs, sledding down the steep hill or swimming under the silver bridge. Soooo many good memories…

I used to remember my history. However, one day, due to poor choices and broken people, I was beat so bad, for my past, that I blocked it out completely for my own protection. Apparently, all of the good memories had to be blocked out with the bad. Funny though… I could remember the beatings just fine. Then eventually, in my 30’s, I could remember the damage done by my father as well. But almost all of the good things in my history seemed to stay buried beneath the pain. I sunk to the bottom of despair and insecurity like a weight in quicksand. It took me that long to realize that seven years for me to realize that I was better off alone. I think I would have suffered less had I had family and friends to bring me my parachute.

What a beautiful thing to finally remember the names of the friends who were good and true; to finally share in the family memories that didn’t bring back that unsafe feeling that made me want to flee. I feel like scrooge waking from his dream! I want to call everyone and tell them how great our time together was! When we close ourselves off from our memories, good and bad, we rob ourselves of their protection, in a way. You see, all those years, I had a black hole where memories should be. Bad memories are a weight and darkness but good memories are the parachute and light. Without the good ones, you sink into darkness alone.

Later, as the memories of the father came back, and I discovered his horrific reign of terror over my childhood friends, as well as myself, I had no parachute to lift me out or light to calm the fear of the darkness. I endured that shame alone because all of the names of my friends, except his victims, were buried with the past. The few that I remembered stayed safely behind the wall. I had become independent and safe… and yet, very alone.

Through my life, when I remembered something bad, I had very little good to balance it with. I had no friends to call and talk to about my pain. I remember one of my old and dear girlfriends calling me and trying to tell me that we used to be best friends and were, in fact, blood sisters. I had no recollection of it at all. She cried until I explained what happened to me. Then she kindly gave me as much detail as possible so that it could provide a tiny glimmer of recognition and then it felt true. Slowly, tiny things bubbled to the surface and came to the light and I could recall some of our time together. So bizarre. It was at that point that I tried to exercise my mind and remember. I would work on names and would try to tie in memories… but it seemed all I could recall was shame.

Psalm 107:14: He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.

But you see, we aren’t just alone… we succumb to the darkness that we wallow in. We sink deep into the damage and see ourselves only through the muck and mire, not through God’s eyes. We justify our aloneness and our darkness and our sins because we defy those that we feel left us there to rot. When in reality, we gave up the struggle and allowed the darkness to envelop us and take us to its depths.

1 John 2: 8-11: At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I think that when bad happens, it is important to stand strong and battle through it for our own sake. It gives us power to know that we survived. But I also think that we need to trust our network of childhood friends and family, who truly love us, so that, no matter what, we are reminded of the person who God meant us to be. Our loved ones become the voice of reason, the lamp of God’s light in the darkness; they can remind us who we really are and not allow us to define ourselves by what has happened to us in the dark periods of our lives. They hold the lamp that illuminates our lives despite the spots of darkness in them.

John 1:5:The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I missed out on so very much in my life, by not having my family and friends when I needed them most… or by allowing myself to spiral out of control and maintain that wounded dog mentality, and by shutting my loved ones out by my lack of memory, behavior, actions or inactions because it was easier to face it alone than try to explain.

John 11:10: But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

God meant us to be a community of believers who stand together, not alone; who hold each other accountable with grace, forgiveness and the strength and power of love. It binds our wounds and allows us to scar over and become the warriors of light that we should have been all along.

Ecc 4:9-12: Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Don’t do it alone. Don’t walk in the darkness. Don’t give up the struggle and allow yourself to sink down into the darkness with them. Swallow your pride, grab the hand of a loved one or even a stranger and shed light on your plight! God never meant us to waste our lives alone and guarded. We are to be free and loved and cherish the gift of life that Jesus died for!

Lies

Psalms 15: A psalm of David.                                   

¹ Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose walk is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.

It is important to keep the truth in your heart. If you can do that, then you have power over the enemy and his lies in your life. The more that we lean to the truth, walk in the way and light with each other, and ourselves, the less likely we are to fall prey to his schemes. We were born sinners and as such are weak in our flesh.

John 8:44: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

I think the biggest lie that satan ever told is that one that we hear from other people a lot. “I am a Christian. I am a good person.” Our hearts hurt because when they already think that they are a Christian, they have preconceived notions. They stop searching the truth because they think that they are good enough and don’t need to work on it. They are insulted when you say that we are all sinners, including them. They feel that they only need to wear the name tag and that protects them from going to hell. So they continue to live life as they are. Lost.

But we know that being a Christian is not just a name tag. We know that we are not good people in and of ourselves. We know that the hardest work that we will ever do is a daily battle in our minds. 

We understand the spiritual warfare that we must endure against the one who would have us believe that we made it to some invisible mark and now we do not have to try to produce good fruit or immerse ourselves in the word.

On the surface, we may seem okay. We do what we should do, we love each other and support each other in the way that God has called us. But inside, we still fight our thought life. We always will.

Ephesians 6:12: ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Once God has called you, His Holy Spirit will guide you in all righteousness. He wouldn’t have the need for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us if we were capable of doing it alone. We aren’t.

John 14:15-31: Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

²⁸ “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. ³⁰ I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, ³¹ but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

You must remember that each of us are at a different level of truth. Each of us are fighting the daily spiritual battle in ourselves and dealing with our own weaknesses and temptations on this earth. We cannot look upon our brothers and sisters and say, “I am up here and they are still down there.” You cannot judge them or where they are at because we are all the same to Christ who loves us and gave His life for us and left the Holy Spirit for us. But look at it this way, we are not alone either. We can lean to one another for strength and understanding. We can guide each other and love one another with the love of Christ. This is what we are called for.

Ephesians 4:25: ²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Trust each other. We are all here for each other. We must understand that each of us have our own battles. We are not just here to feed the hungry, save the lost and house broken souls. We are here to support our brothers and sisters in Christ. Always.