Living for the Invisible

Living for the Invisible

II Corinthians 4:18 …things which are seen are temporal, but the thing which are not seen are eternal. 

In the average week of a preacher, he studies, writes, administrates, visits, teaches, and preaches.  It is not easy to see the immediate results of your labor.  You teach a lesson and you cannot see immediate results and sometimes you don’t see any results.   

My son has a lawn care business.  On several occasions, on my day off, I would help him mow grass, trim, and beautify his customers’ lawns.  Upon completion I would stand in the middle of the street and just look at the freshly manicured lawn feeling quite satisfied.  It was a feeling I didn’t get often enough in the ministry.  

Then came II Corinthians 4:18.  God, as He often does, led me to this verse. It spoke to my heart and still does.  The work I dedicated myself to do over 30 years ago is not seen, but invisible.  It is not temporary, but eternal.  I do not know the results of every sermon preached, or every lesson taught.  I do not know the results of each visit made or deeds done in the name of my Savior.  

But this I know, that every deed done in the name of Jesus will not go unrewarded. 

Mark 9:41 (KJV) ⁴¹ For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

These verses lead me to ask myself several questions, Is my time being spent on things temporal or things eternal?  Is my money being spent in a way to been seen, which is temporal or unseen which is eternal?  How often do we live our lives selfishly?  How often do we spend our money temporally?  

My prayer today is Lord, help me to live life seeing the invisible.  Help me to live this life with eternity in view. 

Write it down, take it with you, mediate on it throughout the day.

Addiction. It's Many Faces - Part I

Addiction

It's Many Faces - Part I

by Dr. George T. Crabb

Addiction to alcohol, nicotine, prescription medications, and illegal substances cost Americans upwards of half a trillion dollars a year, considering their combined medical, economic, criminal, and social impact. Every year, abuse of illicit drugs, prescription drugs, and alcohol contributes to the death of more than 100,000 Americans, while tobacco is linked to an estimated 440,000 deaths per year.

People of all ages suffer the harmful consequences of addiction. Not only is the addicted affected by their drug abuse, but their families and friends bear the brunt of this burden as well. Ministries have been devastated by the addiction of its leadership and even its membership.

#1 Babies - babies exposed to legal and illegal drugs in the womb may be born premature and underweight. This drug exposure can slow the child's intellectual development and affect behavior later in life.

#2 Adolescents - adolescents who abuse drugs often act out, do poorly academically, drop out of school, and stop attending church. They are at risk of unplanned pregnancies, violence, and infectious diseases, like HIV and Hepatitis C.

#3 Adults - adults who abuse drugs often have problems thinking clearly, remembering, and paying attention. They also develop poor social behaviors as a result of the drug abuse, and their work performance, personal relationships, and ministries suffer.

#4 Parents - parents' drug abuse often means chaotic, stress-filled homes and child abuse and neglect. Such conditions harm the well-being and development of children in their home and may set the stage for drug abuse in the next generation by teaching their children how to make wrong, ungodly decisions. By their actions they show their children that you cope with stress and uncertainty with drugs instead of God's Word.

The enormous question that faces us today is this: "Is addiction a disease?" The answer is: "NO!" Addiction is not a disease. Addiction is a disorder caused by sin. It is a disorder that can make you very sick both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is also the reason many contract diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C. The disorder of addiction is brought on by a bad choice that is followed by many other bad choices. Each bad choice is sin. Addiction is something you continue to do, even though you know it is bad for you.

This disorder caused by addiction is a self-induced disorder of the brain. It is brought on when an individual improperly uses chemical substances and/or destructive behaviors as coping mechanisms to deal with the pain, uncertainty, disappointments, loss, and other like traumas in life.

As this behavior is repeated, physiological changes eventually occur in the brain. These changes further enhance the disorder and compel the individual to use the substance and/or the destructive behavior with greater frequency and intensity. Eventually, the behavior leads to more pain, frustration, fear, uncertainty, and disappointment. The individual becomes trapped in a vicious cycle with unresolved pain as a result of engaging destructive coping mechanisms that were initially meant to alleviate the pain.

Addiction is a process that starts with a choice. That choice allows the manipulation of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain). However, through manipulation of these "feel goods" they are eventually depleted. This results in devastating destruction, depression, and ultimate death. Thus, the chasing of the "high" ends up being a futile struggle to maintain normality.

Why Do People Take Drugs?
In general, people begin taking drugs for a variety of reasons:

#1 To feel good. Most abused drugs produce intense feelings of pleasure. The initial sensation of euphoria is followed by other effects, which differ with the type of drug used. For example, with stimulants such as cocaine, the "high" is followed by feelings of power, self-confidence, and increased energy. In contrast, the euphoria caused by opiates such as heroin is followed by feelings of relaxation and satisfaction.

#2 To feel better. Some people who suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression begin taking drugs in an attempt to lessen the feelings of distress. Stress or an unbalanced life can play a major role in beginning drug use, continuing drug use, or relapse in individuals walking in freedom.

#3 To do better. The increasing pressure that some individuals feel to chemically enhance or improve their athletic or cognitive performance can similarly play a role in initial experimentation and continued drug use.

#4 Curiosity and "because others are doing it." In this respect adolescents are particularly vulnerable because of the strong influence of peer pressure; they are more likely, for example, to engage in "thrilling" and "daring" behaviors.

Underlying all of the above reasons is a single factor - a bad, ungodly choice to turn to something else rather than to the Lord Jesus Christ. We find all answers to life in Jesus Christ not in some chemical.


If Taking Drugs Makes People Feel Good Or Better, What's The Problem?
At first, people may perceive what seem to be positive effects with drug use. They also may believe that they can control their use; however, drugs quickly take over. Once you start playing around with the devil, his snare will find its way into your life quickly. As drug use continues, what seemed to be pleasurable becomes misery and drug use becomes necessary for the individual to simply feel "normal." Drug users reach a point where they seek and take drugs, despite the tremendous problems caused for themselves and their loved ones.

Is Continued Drug Abuse a Voluntary Behavior?
The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary. It is a choice a person makes. There may be many surrounding influences to take the drugs but it ultimately comes down to a choice made by the individual. As drug use continues, brain images from drug-addicted individuals show physical changes in certain areas of the brain. These changes can alter the way the brain works but it is still the individual's choice whether to take the drug or not.

Shyness, Grieving Soon to be Classified as a Mental Illness

Shyness, Grieving Soon to be Classified as a Mental Illness.

This is a link to an article at Foxnews.com.  It is the latest addition to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

Shyness and Grieving Soon to be Classified as a Mental Illness

For those of you unfamiliar with the DSM, here is an interesting video on YouTube explaining the DSM and how new diseases are added to the manual.  I am not endorsing this video, but simply posting it to educate you better concerning mental diseases. 

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Roy Benavidez

I think you will be amazed as I was when I heard this speech by Congressional Medal of Honor recipient MSG Roy Benavidez.  Truly an American Hero! 

Peniel: for I have seen God Face to Face

Genesis 32:24-32 (KJV) ²⁴ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷ And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸ And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹ And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰ And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. ³¹ And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. ³² Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Here in Genesis 32 we see a life changing event in the life of Jacob.  Jacob, whose name means to supplant, to undermine, is known as the man who deceived both his brother and his Father.  Jacob stole the birthright from his brother Esau and lied to his father, Jacob concerning his identity so he could receive the blessing normally given to the first born. 

 The deceiver was reaping what he had sown.  After working 7 years for Laban, he was given the oldest daughter Leah, instead of the promised daughter, Rachel. It is certain that our sins find us out and what goes around comes around.  It did for Jacob.  Here in Genesis 32 Jacob must soon face his brother Esau.  His lifestyle is catching up to him.  He needs a change in his heart and in his character.  Jacob understood there is a God who can instantly transform any heart.  He can change any life.  

 Jacob wrestled the entire night with the Son of God.  He refused to let go of Jesus until Jesus blessed him. Jacob’s persistence paid off.  Jesus blessed him and changed him forever.  The change was so dramatic that Jesus changed Jacob’s name to Israel.  The name Israel means who prevails with God.  The word prevail means to overcome, to gain the victory.  What happened that night?  That night Jacob wrestled with Jesus until he gained the victory in his life over his deceptiveness and deceitfulness. Jesus Christ has the power and ability to transform a person’s life overnight. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) ¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

When I was a young preacher, I attended the funeral of the mother of one of the older men in our church.  She was a Pentecostal and lived much of her adult life in poverty.  At the funeral, the preacher asked if anyone would like to give a testimony and, to my surprise, for over an hour one person after another rose to speak of how this women blessed them and showed them the love of Jesus Christ. I wanted to know more about this amazing woman who obviously was filled with the Spirit of God.  I visited her son and he told me about her life, and specifically about a life changing event.  She and her husband had attended a revival meeting at a small holiness church in Rock Hall, Maryland.  The preacher had preached on living the victorious Christian life and both her and her husband came under conviction.  They returned home that night realizing they were saved, but not living in victory.  Both were chain smokers, and had tried to quit many times only to have failed many times.  That night at 10:30pm they called their preacher and asked him if he would help them quit smoking.  He answered; meet me at the church in half an hour.   

They met the preacher at the church and he told them; we are going to pray and wrestle with God until God removes all desire in your heart for smoking.  They did and He did.  At 4:00am they both rose from their knees knowing God had touched them.  The desire they once had for cigarettes was removed and they never touched a smoke for the rest of their lives! 

What God did for them, God can do for you.  He has the ability and the power to change and transform lives. 

1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV) ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:37 (KJV) ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

John 16:33 (KJV) ³³ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Are you struggling in your Christian life?  Are you cold, apathetic?  Do you have an addiction or sin that controls your life?  Do you lack the presence of God in your life? 

Jesus can change your life.  Will you wrestle with Him until you have the victory? 

Write it down, take it with you, meditate on it throughout the day. 

The Fool (Part 7)

The Fool

Proverbs 9:13-18 (KJV) ¹³ A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. ¹⁴ For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, ¹⁵ To call passengers who go right on their ways: ¹⁶ Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, ¹⁷ Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. ¹⁸ But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

The 7^th occurrence of the word fool in Proverbs is found here in chapter 9 and it is in reference to an immoral woman, a woman who is practicing the world’s oldest profession of prostitution.  The Bible in other passages refers to this woman as a harlot, but here in Proverbs in this passage she is called foolish. 

The first characteristic of the women who lives as if there is no God is clamorous.  Clamorous has a wide variety of meaning in the Hebrew, but is usually defined as loud, turmoil, or in an uproar.

1.            A foolish woman is loud, outraged, and tumultuous.

The second word used to describe this foolish woman is simple.  Simple is defined here in Scripture as a person who is naïve, one who believes anything, one who is undisciplined.  When you combine the word simple with the next phrase that this foolish woman knoweth nothing, you can understand her better. She is gullible, undisciplined, and lacks knowledge.

2.            A foolish woman is gullible, undisciplined, and lacks knowledge.

In verse 17 stolen waters reference the fact that sin has pleasure for a season and in verse 18 it talks about the end result of disobeying God’s Word.  Life teaches this truth over and over again.  How often do we seek pleasure outside of God’s Word only to find in the end result is heartache and bondage. 

3.            A foolish woman considers only the immediate and not the end result.

                A foolish woman lives for temporary pleasure and not permanent joy.

Quotes for the Week

Quotes for the Week

The first step towards virtue is to shun vice, and therefore to shun the vicious.  Matthew Henry

You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.  A.J. Gordon

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies.  And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees, imploring them to stay.  If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.  Charles H. Spurgeon

Our faith must be tempted.  God builds no ships, but what He sends to sea. D.L. Moody

When people stop bringing you their problems, is the time you stop being their leader. Colin Powell

In Christ Jesus you have a bright future and you have a brand new past.  Benjamin Burks

God's promises are our resources. Benjamin Burks

Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there.  Author Unknown

Hope you gained something from these quotes. Please follow my Daily Meditations blog: http://reformersunanimous.wordpress.com

Is Methadone the Answer?

Is Methadone the Answer?

Methadone is a synthetic opiate analgesic currently used in America as the leading treatment for narcotics addiction. A soluble white crystalline powder usually ingested by tablet or mixed in a liquid such as orange juice.

First synthesized by the Germans during World War II to substitute for scarce morphine, methadone is only slightly more potent than morphine as a painkiller. Methadone has the distinct advantage over other narcotics of being nearly as effective orally as by injection. In addition, while most opiates must be administered every four to six hours to stave off withdrawal pains and anxieties, an adequate methadone dose lasts a full twenty-four-hour day, and can supplant narcotic cravings for up to forty-eight hours. The drug is manufactured by Ell Lilly & Company, and its legal use is totally restricted to licensed, regulated methadone clinics and hospitals; it cannot be purchased by prescription.

The history of addiction treatment is a curious one. At one time cocaine and heroin were thought to be harmless, nonaddicting alternatives to opium addiction, and opium was used for the treatment of alcoholics. Methadone is now prescribed for heroin addiction. A highly addictive substance that chemically blocks the craving for heroin, it does not provide heroin's warm, euphoric rush.  Nor is it a drug that creates tolerance in the user. The methadone addict does not need increasingly larger doses to retrain comfortably, "normal." In fact, dosage can usually be reduced after the addict has been detoxified from heroin. The drug' produces a cross-tolerance to heroin. This means that if an addict tries heroin while on methadone, the heroin will have no effect.

If the addict does not get his adequate daily methadone dose, he is subject to withdrawal trauma--diarrhea, hot and cold flashes, sweating, insomnia, and stomach pain. The withdrawal phase may be less intense than heroin's three days of horror, but it can last as long as two weeks.

Methadone obliterates what is known as post-abstinence syndrome--that intermittent, gnawing desire for heroin that lingers on after withdrawal. The drug decreases anxiety, although it is not a potent mood elevator. Methadone creates psychological and physical dependence, which may help explain its success in addiction treatment. In all cases, prescribing proper dosage should be left to professionals. Addicts with low tolerance levels may require special dosage to avoid potentially lethal results. Non addicts can easily die from using methadone.

Initially, methadone treatment was envisioned as a temporary therapy that could be discontinued after a patient had received decreasing doses for several months. Methadone maintenance is now believed to be a permanent treatment. The patient must regularly visit a clinic and receive his daily medication or he will revert to his previous opiate addiction. For reasons that may have more to do with human nature than with pharmacology, most heroin-free methadone patients dabble in other drugs, including barbiturates, cocaine, and alcohol; 20 percent become alcoholics.

Certainly methadone is a better option that heroin addiction.  But is the long term permanent answer to heroin addiction the participation in a methadone program? With the disturbing statistics that most methadone patients use other drugs including alcohol it is obvious that this method of treatment is flawed.  What is the answer?

The answer is the same answer to all addictions.  It is Jesus Christ.  John 8:32 32 And ye shall know the truth (Jesus Christ), and the truth (Jesus Christ) shall make you free.  The Bible teaches;  2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) ¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  Jesus has the power to transform life.  He has done it for others and He can do it for you.  For more stories of how Jesus Christ transforms life please visit here:  http://www.reformude.com/success-stories.html

The Fool (Part 6)

The Fool

The next (6^th) occurrence of the word fool is found in Proverbs 9:6.

Proverbs 9:6 (KJV) ⁶ Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

The teaching here is straight forward.  Those who desire to live wisely must break close association with those who live as if there is no God and live contrary to the teachings of the Word of God.  Notice, I said close association.  It does not mean you will never talk to them again, it means your relationship changes.  You no longer go where they go, do what they do, talk like they talk, and think like they think.  When I first came to Jesus, I had many friends who lived foolishly.  Did I never talk to them again?  No, I tried to bring them into my new life in Christ.  I witnessed to them about what God had done in my life.  I invited them to church. I spoke openly of my new relationship with Christ.  In most cases it ended up being their decision not to associate with me.  The wise Christian must forsake the foolish while have compassion making a difference Jude 22.

Matthew Henry said; The first step towards virtue is to shun vice, and therefore to shun the vicious.

In Reformers Unanimous, principle #6 teaches; Those who do not love the Lord will not help me serve the Lord.  Clearly if a person desires change in their live, they must forsake the foolish.  Steve Curington said; If you do what you have always done, then you will be what you have always been.

The Bible says it clearly in I Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV) ³³ Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

The principle being taught is clear, bad company corrupts good morals.  All of us know this is true.  Our life experiences teach us this truth of God’s Word.  The fool values the company of the corrupt more than the fellowship with the Savior.  You cannot have both.  You cannot enjoy the presence of God in your life while you are associating with people who live as if there is no God.  God’s Word says:

James 4:4 (KJV) ⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

This is a good time to examine the relationships in our lives.  Are we in close association with people who live foolishly?  Are we allowing those without Christ to lead us?  Do we value our friendships with fools more than our relationship with Christ? 

2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV) ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

6.         The Fools best friend is another fool.