addictions

The Lord came "To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." Isaiah 42:7

* Are you hurting?
* Do you have a hole in your heart that nothing seems to fill?
* Have you tried everything to fill it but have found yourself caught in a viscous trap of addiction?
* Are you sitting alone in darkness in the privacy of your own home?

Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life and have it to the full." John 10:10

When you know Jesus "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

What kind of bondage ties you down? Is it keeping you from going on in life?

Many people have been in one or more types of bondage listed above. Jesus has set them free from captivity to their addictions. You can be set free by the power of Jesus Christ.

Let us help you. Let Jesus help you. The TRUTH will set you free. Nothing is impossible with Jesus.

"What is impossible with men is possible with God." Luke 18:27

"My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare." Psalm 25:15

**Pornography Addiction**

* Are you caught in the vicious web of pornography online?
* Find yourself compulsively buying magazines?
* Do you sneak around to get your "fix"?

Jesus can set you free from your addictions.

Pornography is very destructive to your sexual life. It creates objects of people and sends false messages about what is desirable. It will steal your pleasure when you are making love to your spouse. This addiction is so dangerous that people have been known to go to great lengths to cover up their habits. They lie to their spouses with excuses like working late at the office, running down to the store, etc.

The Bible is very specific about not entertaining lust in your heart for another person.

Matthew 5:28 "But I say to you, that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

**Sexual Addiction**

We were created in the image of God. When you objectify a person you treat it as if it is a non-person, thereby rejecting God's creative power in their life.

Sexual addiction is one of the most powerful addictions known to grip people. 90% of all people addicted are men.

Sexual intercourse is a gift from God intended for marriage. Any sexual relation that is not in a loving, committed marriage is not profitable or good. Within the confines of a loving committed marriage, sexual intercourse is a beautiful act ordained by God.

God's first command to man was "to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." Genesis 1:28 (NIV) "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" God pronounced His creation as "very good."

The Bible clearly says that certain types of sexual activities are an abomination to God. Leviticus 18 focuses on unlawful sexual relations.

I Corinthians 6:13b-20 says, "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body... Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body?... Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Ephesians 5:3 says, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity or of greed."

I Thessalonians 4:3-6 "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him."

Sexual addiction is a very destructive activity. Sexual activity becomes addiction when it is unmanageable. Over time it becomes destructive, and the severity of the activity will increase. The never-satisfying nature of sexual addiction indicates that the user isn't trying to find a satisfying sexual life, but trying to find an escape.

Sexual addiction includes masturbation, pornography, sexual intercourse, homosexuality, and various levels of perversion. In fact, one may be a sex addict and not have sex outside of marriage. It has a progressive nature to it. Your first step is acknowledging that you have a problem.

**Drug Addicitions**

* Do you need to get high to have a good time?
* Does taking drugs enable you to cope with life?
* Have you driven or gone to work while taking drugs?
* Do you need drugs to get by?
* Do you consider yourself a recreational drug user who has it under control?
* Which drugs do you struggle with? Pain killers, crack, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants? Even something as simple as sleeping pills can be addictive.

Jesus came to set the captives FREE. He does not want you to live in addiction to anything. He is all you need to get by. When Jesus is Lord of your life, your focus changes.

Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Why are drugs so bad for us?

Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. When we introduce drugs into our system we tamper with our temple. Drugs are proven to reduce memory, destroy the brain, and to bring harm to our bodies. What may seem like a moment of pleasure now will catch up with you later. Your bodies begin to crave the drug. Numerous addicts have lost everything they possess in pursuit of a temporary high.

Give up the temporary, the material and depend upon Jesus. His Kingdom reigns forever and ever.

Want to stop the drug addiction?

Jesus can set you free from your addictions. You may still have times of temptation and will need to find a strong support team to give you strength when you feel like taking drugs.

* Do you need to get high to have a good time?
* Does taking drugs enable you to cope with life?
* Have you driven or gone to work while taking drugs?
* Do you need drugs to get by?
* Do you consider yourself a recreational drug user who has it under control?
* Which drugs do you struggle with? Pain killers, crack, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants? Even something as simple as sleeping pills can be addictive.

Jesus came to set the captives FREE. He does not want you to live in addiction to anything. He is all you need to get by. When Jesus is Lord of your life, your focus changes.

Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Why are drugs so bad for us?

Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. When we introduce drugs into our system we tamper with our temple. Drugs are proven to reduce memory, destroy the brain, and to bring harm to our bodies. What may seem like a moment of pleasure now will catch up with you later. Your bodies begin to crave the drug. Numerous addicts have lost everything they possess in pursuit of a temporary high.

Give up the temporary, the material and depend upon Jesus. His Kingdom reigns forever and ever.

Want to stop the drug addiction?

Jesus can set you free from your addictions. You may still have times of temptation and will need to find a strong support team to give you strength when you feel like taking drugs.

**Alcohol Addiction**

* The abuse of alcohol is not a new phenomenon. People have been overindulging in spirits since the days of Noah.
* Are you concerned about your drinking habits right now or about someone else's?
* Have people made comments about your drinking?
* Have you awakened after a night of drinking, and had difficulty remembering anything?
* Have you promised yourself or your family to quit drinking but find yourself unable to keep the commitment?
* Is anyone in your family an alcoholic?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you may have an addiction.

Do you want to be free from alcohol addiction? Jesus can help set you free from all addictions.

Ephesians 5:18 says, "Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Jesus wants us to drown ourselves in the love of God. When we drink, we are trying to escape from something.

Nothing is impossible with God. If you truly want deliverance from your alcohol addiction it is possible. It may not be easy or come overnight, but God's hand is not so short that it cannot reach out and save you.

Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will give you strength as you renounce alcohol.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6

**Gambling**

What do you consider Gambling?

* Going to the casino, betting at the races, playing the lottery?

Why do you gamble?

* To get ahead?
* For entertainment?
* As a way of living?
* To make the rent money?
* As a form of celebration?

Jesus says, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

Don't let the idea of quick money compromise your values.

Jesus can set you free from your addictions. You may still have times of temptation and will need to find a strong support team to give you strength when you feel like taking a chance again.

The Nationwide Helpline for Gamblers is 1-800-522-2700.

**Eating Disorders**

* Is your eating out of control?
* Do you eat too much? Too little?
* Does food fill a void in your life?
* Do you eat even when you are full?
* When you look in the mirror what do you see?

The Lords says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, Before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

You have a destiny and a purpose. Each of us has been created uniquely by God just the way we are. We may have different color skin, hair, or eyes but everyone was created to be a special child of God.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens; They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds." Luke 12:22-24

"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31

Have you been eating to the glory of God? Is God glorified when you stuff yourself until you're uncomfortable, or when you deny food to the point of starvation?

**Internet Addiction**

* Do you find that your computer has become your best friend?
* Are you spending all your free time "surfing" the Net?
* Are you fascinated by sites which your conscious tells you are wrong?
* Has your family complained that they never see you? If you're married, does your wife feel that she is a web widow?

Are you interested is gaining freedom from your Internet addiction?

1. Your first step towards breaking free from the power of addictions is to admit that you are addicted and that you need help. Jesus says that when we confess ours sins He is just and faithful to forgive us our sins. I John 1:9

2. Your next step towards breaking free from the power of addictions is acknowledging Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This means that you believe that Jesus is the only Son of God, was born of the Virgin Mary and died for your sins. John 3:16 says that "God so loved the World that He gave his one and Only Son that whoever believes on him shall have eternal life."

* Begin by praying the Prayer of Salvation. You may have tried prayer before and nothing happened. God's ways are not our ways. Sometimes God chooses to work slowly in our lives, "In His Time". Breaking free from addictions is rarely an over night miracle. Don't allow past failures to keep you from trying again.

I have personally led many people to God as they prayed a prayer similar to the following prayer. I invite you to pray this prayer with me now.
I have personally led many people to God as they prayed a prayer similar to the following prayer. I invite you to pray this prayer with me now...
Dear God, I acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that He was born of the Virgin Mary. I believe that He died on the cross, that His blood was shed for my sins and that He arose from the dead. I confess that I have disobeyed your commandments. I ask you to forgive me for these sins. I now ask Jesus to come into my heart. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my soon coming King. I will do my best to obey your teachings as recorded in the Bible. Thank you, in Jesus name. Amen.

Repentance

Jesus came to call us to repentance for our sins. When you repent, you turn from going away from God, to going toward God where you seek to do His will and not your own.

When you repent you make a 180 degree turn. Some people say that you turn over a new leaf.

Born Again

We must be born of the Spirit and take on the Spirit or nature of God.

When we came into this world we were born of the flesh, like our parents. All people are descendants of Adam and Eve who sinned in the garden of Eden. Because of their sin we are born with the same sinful, lustful nature which desires the things of this world more than the things of God.

We are all sinners because we disobey God's laws as written in the Holy Bible. We may try to obey but within ourselves we cannot successfully obey. The spirit of Satan influences us to disobey God. When we give in to Satan and he causes us to sin, we have guilt, anger, greed, hatred, pride, jealousy and bitterness. This is often a source of unhappiness as we disappoint ourselves and hurt other people. Many times this is the root cause of depression and an unfulfilled life which escalates as we perpetuate the cycle, seeking happiness and finding none. Sin destroys us and leads to destruction in an eternal Hell.

While talking with Nicodemus, Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" John 3:3.

Scriptures

Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep." John 10:10, 11. Jesus wants you to have a life of peace. Peace comes from allowing Jesus to live within our hearts. Disobedience to the Word of God destroys this peaceful, full life that Jesus provided for us. Sin separates us from the presence of God.

John 3:15-18 says, "That everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Gods one and only Son."

The Way of Salvation

Salvation is not merely a one-time experience. It is an experience which places you on the Christian faith journey - the Way of Salvation. Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is your first step on the trip. As you read your Bible you will grow spiritually. Find some good Christian people to associate with. Begin to attend a Bible believing church. Learn how to witness to others telling them about your new relationship with Jesus. The goal of the Christian life is not getting into Heaven; that is the reward. The goal is to continually become more like Jesus Christ and for your personal relationship with Him to grow deeper.

3. Pray with us out loud, now.

* Dear Jesus, I confess that I am weak right now. I repent of my sins and ask you to forgive me for them. I ask you to help me begin again. I confess that I am in bondage and ask that by the power of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus that you set me free. Thank-you for freedom.

4. Resolve in your heart to do whatever is necessary to gain freedom: therapy, small groups discussions, deliverance, rehabilitation.

5. Resist the Devil. The Bible says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7 Whenever you feel the old temptations arising again pull out your Bible and begin to read God's word. Pray saying, "Jesus I need your help right now. Satan, I command you by the blood of Jesus Christ to cease and desist." Do not allow your mind to entertain unclean thoughts or thoughts about your addiction. When they come into your mind immediately divert your attention. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

6. You will need support from a local church. Most churches with large congregations will provide free counseling to help deliver you from addictions. Jesus can set you free from your addictions. You may still have times of temptation and will need to find a strong support team to give you strength when you feel like taking drugs. There are several ways you might go about finding a support group.

a. One source of help in most areas is the Yellow pages of your local telephone book. If you look under Drug Addiction and Treatment you should be able to find treatment centers and support groups.

b. Another source of help will be churches in your community. If you attend church contact your minister and tell him/her how you are struggling and that you need help. If he/she does not provide help contact some of the larger congregations in your area and ask who does have support groups for addictions.

c. Christian Recovery International provides information on finding support groups through Internet sources.

d. Overcomers Outreach Network will help you find meetings in your area.

7. Find a mentor or someone to whom you can be accountable. Anytime you are struggling this is the person you will call and get prayer support. A true friend will be someone you can call any time for help and who will listen to you.

8. Breaking addictions is not an easy over-night task. God is mighty to deliver you but you have established bad habits which will take time to be broken. Satan does not want you to be free. The good news is that God is sovereign and mighty. He will deliver you.

9. Email me, and I will put you on my prayer list. Jesus Cares... I care about you!

In Christ's Loving and Open Arms,
John J. McCall

**Christians Aren't Broke (but they may be broken)**

******* stolen from a friend's blog.thought you all might enjoy!!! ****************




Good evening my friends. I hope your day has gone well. The weekend is here and the Lord has put on my heart to write an artical on "broken", so here goes...

We are constantly dealing with Christians who think they are broke. They may have lost their job, or they may be over their head in debt, or they may be facing an unexpected expense that seems to them to be overwhelming.

If you think about it, Moses really made a terrible decision when he decided to suffer with the people of God. He had all the riches of Egypt available to him if he would just "keep his nose clean" and stay in line with the culture, but Hebrews 11:24-26 says, "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward."

Think about what he left and what he stepped into. Three million slaves set free and following him through the wilderness. They will look to him for all the answers to their questions and for all their needs. Wow! And imagine what needs this many people would have in a barren land. Did Moses consider himself BROKE?

Think about it:

Moses and his people fled Egypt, crossed the Red Sea and wandered in the desert for forty years. They had to get across The Red Sea at night. Now, if they walked a narrow path, two across, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights for all to cross. So there had to be a space in the Red Sea, 3 miles wide so they could walk 5000 abreast to cross the Sea in one night. And at the end of each day, a camp-ground two-thirds the size of the State of Rhode Island was required; a total of 750 square miles. Think of it; all this space for camping, building campfires, (digging latrines), disposing of other waste, etc. They had to be fed and cared for. And feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food. According to the Quartermaster General of the Army, it is reported that Moses would have needed 1500 tons of food each day. To bring that much food each day, it would require two freight trains, each at least a mile long. Also, you must remember, they were out in the desert and needed firewood to cook their food. It would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, to satisfy each days needs...and they wandered for forty years.

In addition, they needed lots of water in the desert. To only drink a little and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day, and a freight train with tank cars 1800 miles long, just to bring water! Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not!

You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of these things for him. Now do you think God has any problem taking care of all your needs?

Somehow our problems seem very insignificant by comparison. How did Moses endure all of this? Hebrews tells us this in the next verse, verse 27:
"By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible."

You have often heard the Scripture quoted: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." We are told that in the original language there are five negatives. He is saying that He will never, never, never, never, never leave us. Well, that is pretty reassuring, but I think we miss a lot by quoting only the last part of the verse. We miss the full impact of the verse by leaving the first half out of it. You must have the first half of the verse to have His promise to you in context.

What does it say? Here it is in the Amplified Version: "Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!" Hebrews 13:5

Now doesn't that make a greater impact on your faith? Can't you see that our Father's reputation is on the line here? He owns the "cattle on a thousands hills" and when my Father is not broke, I'M NOT BROKE. Not when He gives me such a promise as we just quoted.

Take heart Christian. Don't mope and whine and carry on like your "going down the tubes." Lift up you head. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" Hebrews 12:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Col. 3:2

When the Eternal, Sovereign, Creator God is your Father, HOW COULD YOU BE BROKE. You may not be seeing correctly. Look at Matthew 6:22-23 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" How great indeed!

No matter what your situation is, SEE GOD, get aligned with Him. Join Him in the intimacy with Him that He is calling you into by this situation. Be "more than a conqueror" in it through Jesus Christ in you that He may receive all the glory.

Read this again and be encouraged: "Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!"

Now read what Oswald Chambers says about this text:

God’s Say-So
"He hath said . . . so that we may boldly say . . ." Hebrews 13:5-6

My say-so is to be built on God’s say-so. God says—"I will never leave thee," then I can with good courage say—"The Lord is my helper, I will not fear"—I will not be haunted by apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s say-so. I will be full of courage, like a child "bucking himself up" to reach the standard his father wants. Faith in many a one falters when the apprehensions come, they forget the meaning of God’s say-so, forget to take a deep breath spiritually. The only way to get the dread taken out of us is to listen to God’s say-so.

What are you dreading? You are not a coward about it, you are going to face it, but there is a feeling of dread. When there is nothing and no one to help you, say—"But the Lord is my Helper, this second, in my present outlook." Are you learning to say things after listening to God, or are you saying things and trying to make God’s word fit in? Get hold of the Father’s say-so, and then say with good courage—"I will not fear." It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in the way, He has said—"I will never leave thee."

Frailty is another thing that gets in between God’s say-so and ours. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God becomes a nonentity. Remember God’s say-so—"I will in no wise fail you." Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s key-note? Are we always possessed with the courage to say—"The Lord is my helper," or are we succumbing?

What Are You Haunted By?
"What man is he that feareth the Lord?" Psalm 25:12

What are you haunted by? You will say—"By nothing," but we are all haunted by something, generally by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our experience. The Psalmist says we are to be haunted by God. The abiding consciousness of the life is to be God, not thinking about Him. The whole of our life inside and out is to be absolutely haunted by the presence of God. A child’s consciousness is so mother-haunted that although the child is not consciously thinking of its mother, yet when calamity arises, the relationship that abides is that of the mother. So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time.

If we are haunted by God, nothing else can get in, no cares, no tribulation, no anxieties. We see now why Our Lord so emphasized the sin of worry. How can we dare be so utterly unbelieving when God is round about us? To be haunted by God is to have an effective barricade against all the onslaughts of the enemy.

"His soul shall dwell at ease." In tribulation, misunderstanding, slander, in the midst of all these things, if our life is hid with Christ in God, He will keep us at ease. We rob ourselves of the marvellous revelation of this abiding companionship of God. "God is our Refuge"—nothing can come through that shelter.

CONCLUSION:
When your circumstances are screaming at you. When it seems there is no way out, you may have the habit of examining the circumstances more and more. Try this: EXAMINE FATHER AND HIS LOVE FOR YOU. If you measure your need it seems so overwhelming. If you measure our Father and focus on Him, you will get things into proper perspective. Look in His Word and see Him. Look in your situation and see Him. What you see is going to determine how you are: "If your eye is evil" your circumstance is seen as overwhelming, but if you have vision and you SEE GOOD, or God (Who is in everything working for your good), your circumstance will become the arena in which God will prove Himself. Then with that victory Father will bring more evil into your life in order for Him to be the Victor in it too, and all glory and praise will be to Him. Remember, Jesus promised, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." In other words, every day will have evil in it so you can through your trust in Father be victorious in His Name, to His glory. AMEN.

THE HABIT OF WEALTH

"Partakers of the divine nature." 2 Peter 1:4

We are made partakers of the Divine nature through the promises; then we have to "manipulate" the Divine nature in our human nature by habits, and the first habit to form is the habit of realizing the provision God has made. "Oh, I can't afford it," we say - one of the worst lies is tucked up in that phrase. It is ungovernably bad taste to talk about money in the natural domain, and so it is spiritually, and yet we talk as if our Heavenly Father had cut us off with a shilling!

We think it a sign of real modesty to say at the end of a day - "Oh, well, I have just got through, but it has been a severe tussle." And all the Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will tax the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will obey Him.

What does it matter if external circumstances are hard? Why should they not be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we banish God's riches from our own lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out murmurings and our lives become craving spiritual sponges, there is nothing lovely or generous about them.

When God is beginning to be satisfied with us He will impoverish everything in the nature of fictitious wealth, until we learn that all our fresh springs are in Him. If the majesty and grace and power of God are not being manifested in us (not to our consciousness), God holds us responsible. "God is able to make all grace abound," then learn to lavish the grace of God on others. Be stamped with God's nature, and His blessing will come through you all the time.

“The Eye is the Lamp of the Body”
A Meditation on Matthew 6:19-24

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Sandwiched between the command to lay up treasures in heaven (6:19-21) and the warning that you can’t serve God and money (6:24) are the strange words about the eye being the lamp of the body. If the eye is good (literally: “single”), the whole body will be full of light. But if the eye is bad, the body will be full of darkness. In other words: How you see reality determines whether you are in the dark or not.

Now why is this saying about the good and bad eye sandwiched between two teachings on money? I think it’s because the specific thing about seeing that shows the eye is good is how it sees God in relation to money and all it can buy. That’s the issue on either side of the sandwich meat. In 6:19-21 the issue is: you should desire heaven-reward not earth-reward. Which, in short, means: desire God not money. In 6:24 the issue is whether you can serve two masters. Answer: You cannot serve God and money.

This is a double description of light! If you are laying up treasures in heaven not earth, you are walking in the light. If you are serving God not money, you are walking in the light.

Between these two descriptions of the light Jesus says that the eye is the lamp of the body and that a good eye produces a fullness of this light. So what is the good eye that gives so much light and the bad eye that leaves us in the dark?

One clue is found in Matthew 20:15. Jesus has just said, in a parable, that men who worked one hour will be paid the same as those who worked all day, because the master is merciful, and besides, they all agreed to their wage. Those who worked all day grumbled that the men who worked one hour were paid too much. Jesus responded with the words found here in Matthew 6:23, “Is your eye bad because I am good?”

What is bad about their eye? What’s bad is that their eye does not see the mercy of the master as beautiful. They see it as ugly. They don’t see reality for what it is. They do not have an eye that can see mercy as more precious than money.

Now bring that understanding of the “bad eye” back to Matthew 6:23 and let it determine the meaning of the “good eye.” What would the good eye be that fills us with light? It would be an eye that sees the Master’s generosity as more precious than money. The good eye sees God and His ways as the great Treasure in life, not money.

You have a good eye if you look on heaven and love to maximize the reward of God’s fellowship there. You have a good eye if you look at Master-money and Master-God and see Master-God as infinitely more valuable. In other words, a “good eye” is a valuing eye, a discerning eye, a treasuring eye. It doesn’t just see facts about money and God. It doesn’t just perceive what is true and false. It sees beauty and ugliness, it senses value and worthlessness, it discerns what is really desirable and what is undesirable. The seeing of the good eye is not neutral. When it sees God, it sees God-as-beautiful. It sees God-as-desirable.

That is why the good eye leads to the way of light: laying up treasures in heaven, and serving God not money. The good eye is a single eye. It has one Treasure. God. When that happens in your life, you are full of light.

O Lord, We bless You that the issue of the battle between You and Satan has never been uncertain, and ends in victory. Calvary broke the dragon's head, and we contend with a vanquished foe, who with all his subtlety and strength has already been overcome. When we feel the serpent at our heel may we remember Him Whose heel was bruised, but Who, when bruised, broke the devil's head. Our soul with inward joy extols the mighty conqueror. Heal us of any wounds received in the great conflict; if we have gathered defilement, if our faith has suffered damage, if our hope is less than bright, if our love is not fervent, if some creature-comfort occupies our heart, if our soul sinks under pressure of the fight. You Whose every promise is balm, every touch life, draw near to Your weary warriors, refresh us, that we may rise again to wage the strife and never tire until our enemy is trodden down. Give us such fellowship with You that we may defy Satan, unbelief, the flesh, the world, with delight that comes not from a creature and which a creature cannot mar. Give us a draught of the eternal fountain that lies in Your immutable, everlasting love and decree. Then shall our hand never weaken, our feet never stumble, our sword never rest, our shield never rust, our helmet never shatter, our breastplate never fall, as our strength rests in the power of Your might.

AMEN!!! ;)

Get of out that Pit

i am at home sick for a few days.I am having to force myself to take care of me and focus on me for a little bit.This is a little hard to me as my social worker job and christian view draw me to focus on others.I have to keep reminding myself "I can't love others if I'm not loving myself".So,here I am getting a reminder from God on what's most important.taking care of myself and living a life as a christian. I woke up this morning and was just flipping through the tv.I saw Beth Moore talking on the
James and Betty Robison show.I have caught their show a time or two before but not something I watch routinely.It caught my eye because Beth Moore was on.Her teaching have greatly influenced and encourgaged me.SHe was talking about her latest book"Get out of that Pit".I really didn't realize how great a book this was.I shouldn't expect anything less from Beth but I'd seen this book at Lifeway and didn't think much about it.It didn't seem like anything I'd be interested in.But,after hearing her today,I realize the book is a little more than just about being released from bondage.There was 1 point that Beth made on the show today that really hit home with me.She said (and it's in her book too) that she wanted to make the devil sorry he ever messed with her.It wasn't just ok for her to be free but she wanted to make the devil regret messing with her.For those of you who don't know,beth was a victim of sexual assualt as she grew up.She said on the show that it started before she really has memories so it was what she grew up knowing.Her daughter takes Beth's thought a little further in the book and quotes part of Psalms 23 "Thou anoite my head with oil and prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies".Satan and others who have persecuted us for our christianity will have to sit and watch as we christians rep blessings and rewards.What an amazing thought and site that is :) James went on to state that he was a product of rape and that he too has felt the same thing.It was much more about not letting that circumstance keep him down.it was about living out life to the fullest and being so passionate for God because of that situation that Satan says "uh oh,that plan backfired on me"
I thought about the passion Beth and James have in regards to this.I have never thought of this issue in this way.I've wanted to be free from the devil's stronghold and have taught numerous bible studies on spiritiual warfare.But,I've never thought about actually having such a love for God,passion for God and service to God that it makes the devil sorry.so,this really encouraged me today.It remimded be about "being on fire for Jesus" to quote a cliche. It really is about having a passion for Christ and living a life as a child of God knowing all the blessing we have with that.I thought about Paris Hilton who's been in the news lately.Some people say "she's a hilton,how can she go to jail?" She screamed to her mom "mom,it's not fair" when she was ordered bacbk to jail. how much more should we run to our eternal father with our thoughts and everyday issues/concerns/griefs,questions,etc. Don't mistake what I'm saying.We also face consequences of our decisions here on earth and are certainly capable of not seeing the blessings God is trying to bestow upon us.What we see as blessings may not be what God sees as blessings.I just want to stress that living a christian life is about having a relationship with God and having an undeniable passion for God,His Word and His will.It's about living as his son/daughter.
I'd love any comments you have on this subject or any experience you'd like to share :)

I choose

I choose LOVE... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose JOY... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose PEACE... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose PATIENCE... I will overlook the inconveniences of this world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose KINDNESS... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose GOODNESS... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose FAITHFULNESS... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My husband will not question my love. And my children will always know I will come home.

I choose GENTLENESS... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. And If I make a demand, may it be only of me.

I choose SELF CONTROL... I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be full of only joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only be Christ.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will see His Grace.