Author Archives: Matthew, Karen, and God

Power through Jesus

Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Powerless

Karen and I had the pleasure of meeting with someone yesterday who’s lives have been turned upside down by alcohol. This person was heartbroken and felt extremely powerless over her addiction. We could see the pain in her eyes as she described the devastating effects that this disease has had on her life. As tears welled up in her eyes she was barely able to speak from the years of pain and suffering. The one thing that was consistent and repetitive in our conversation was that she felt like she had to go through this alone. That is the exact same thought that I had in my alcoholic career. Until I was able to let go and let God be in control. I had no idea that God could do such things before I really knew Him. I had just used God as a genie. I would say a prayer asking Him to give me money or a really nice car, but would never give anything to Him. I would never say, “God, I’m completely and utterly powerless over this addiction and need your help”, instead I would just think that I was strong enough to defeat it. This thought is absolutely ludicrous, after many failed attempts I was able to humble myself, admit that I was powerless and laid down my alcoholic addiction at God’s feet. God is always with us no matter what we do or have going on in our lives and He wants to guide us through every situation whether good or bad. If anyone is reading this today that has any kind of addiction and you want to break your addiction, you need to know that the creator of the heavens and earth is waiting to help you and all that is needed is to ask. Dear heavenly father thank you for another beautiful day. Please forgive us for our sins and trespasses and guiding us on this new day to become a better Christian than we were the day before. Lord, I have an addiction today that has taken control over my life and it needs to cease. God, I place this burden at your feet because it’s too much for me to bear. I admit that I am powerless over my addiction, but you are the great and powerful God. Help me to break these chains that bind me to be the best servant for you, In Jesus precious name AMEN.

Imitating our fathers

As we grow up we look to our parents for guidance and courage. We imitate the things that they do and say because they are our role models. Most of us turn 18 and think that we know it all and our education from our folks is finished. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, this is the time that we need to focus more on our Heavenly Father and what He has to offer. Just imagine if we fully imitated God, how much better our lives would be. Imagine putting into practice loving they neighbors, or praying in any and all situations for Him to give you strength, wisdom, just to say thank you, or to rest in His warm embrace. There is so much to learn from our God and the time to start imitating Him and His words is right now. Heavenly Father thank you for blessing us with this beautiful day and giving us a chance to be a better Christian than the day before. Lord, please lead us and guide us towards imitating everything that you do day after day, so that it is fully ingrained in us. Thank you for being with us , in us, and around us, in Jesus precious name AMEN.

God’s creations

Do you ever just sit and look at what God has created? Sometimes life can be overwhelming and it feels like God is taking forever to answer our prayers. Take a seat or a walk and truly open your eyes. Carefully look at all that God has created, from the sky down to that really green grass. I know this might sound odd to some of us, but taking the time to train our eyes to see life is really important. Job 12:7-10 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the Earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? in his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Please take a moment today, even just for a moment or two. Let it sink in that God, Creator of the whole universe is always looking out for you. You are his very special creation and wants to help you grow.

Confession

Just recently I felt impressed to confess something that happened many years ago. It was rough and hard to hear on both sides, but this needed to be out in the open to start the healing process for everyone. I don’t know about anyone else but it is extremely difficult to hold things inside that will potentially put a damper on a walk with God. This particular sin had been eating away at me for many years because it was so shameful and devastating that I wouldn’t be able to find forgiveness. After telling my support group, they prayed for me and helped me through this situation making it easier to deal with. It’s like a mountain being lifted off your shoulders. If you have something to get off your chest I pray that you do so as soon as possible. Find that special person in your life that will not judge you and share the hindrance with making your walk with God even closer. Make sure that you pray, asking the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to confess your sin breaking out of your burdens.