Back on Solid Ground - Day 2 - 21 Day Prayer Challenge - Purity 1420

Welcome to the MT for Christ 247 podcast. I am M.t. Clark and this is today's photo. Uh, to see today's photo, go to mtforchrist.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or you can watch us on YouTube. Uh, welcome. Uh, today's photo of crashing waves underneath an enlightened cloud formation that resembles a person with big hair using their hand to amplify their voice comes to us from from Bonnie Schultz, who shared this scene on social media yesterday. Well, it is Tuesday, and I don't know if you can see what I see in today's photo, but I have learned that we sometimes need one another, uh, one another's help to see the truth that we are missing. And we may even need to shout it, uh, shout it out, uh, to, or to whisper directly in someone's ear for them to hear And it— if it's— if it concerns spiritual truth, we may have to raise a prayer to God to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to wake people up. Um, it's day 2 of the 21-day prayer challenge that's hosted by, uh, Pastor Vlad Savchuk. And, uh, due to my injury, I was at home and able to utilize, uh, yesterday's— the first day to clean house spiritually by praying through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. I was spiritually nourished by a message from Pastor Vlad and spent the day reading some of my Christian books on Logos and— or Lagos— and Kindle and got right physically by obeying my food plan. After day 1, I feel wonderful and will be pressing in again for day 2 as I have come to grips with the fact that experiencing your freedom in Christ comes with a responsibility to walk in it continually. Um, John Eldredge describes living as a Christian as being an amphibian in one of his books, where we walk in between two worlds, going from the world system we grew up in, which is ruled by Satan, and moving more into God's kingdom, uh, where we can experience life in a different way, a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Our Christian walk will be a series of ups and downs as we learn to grow into the person God created us to be. And as we grow, uh, out of being the, the spiritually blind person who was in bondage to the flesh, uh, in the initial stages of our walk with the Lord, it's usually more uncomfortable trying to live by faith, uh, as we have been conditioned to seek comfort from the world. And need to build our capacity to enjoy the things of God before we walk in it at peace. However, as we grow more into the person God created us to be, the opposite happens. We become more uncomfortable with the things of this world than the things from above. Uh, our taste preferences and lifestyle, uh, becomes more spiritual than fleshly. And as this happens, we see clearly how the world has lied to us about what will actually satisfy us and give us comfort and peace. Paul describes this in Philippians 3:7-8, where he state— shares how his opinion of earthly things has changed, stating, I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it it all as garbage so that I could gain Christ. And that is how I have increasingly begun to see the world system for what it is— worthless. But the things of this world do have their appeals as they provide a measure of pleasure, and we remember how indulging in them in the past, quote unquote, made us happy. But Things are different now. We know the truth experientially, and while we may be able to walk in our old environments for limited times, like an amphibian that is becoming less amphibious, we can't stay there for long before we begin to suffer. Going back to fleshly indulgences, even with something benign as food, causes me to suffer in my spirit and body as a As, as I feel burdened by the weight of compromise on my body, soul, and spirit. To know what is right and to not do it is a sin. And for me, if I go mindless and neglect the wisdom and freedom that I have learned and earned, I suffer and won't be right until I go back to where I belong. I'm no longer a tadpole Christian anymore. And this frog is more comfortable on the solid ground of living a healthy lifestyle, of walking in the spirit, than I am in the muck and mire of the swamp of confusion and compromise of the world system. I'm free in Christ. The Lord has set me free from addictions and a lifestyle of the flesh, and my heart, mind, body, and spirit won't allow me to be at peace going back into darkness. It's not my burden. It's now— it's now my burden to resist the world, the flesh, and the devil. And to not go with the flow of the world around me, because to do so for too long torments my body, soul, and spirit. Um, so I'm doing what I have to do. I'm going back to God and the spiritual life that has set me free completely. And I will endeavor not to make the same mistakes of thinking I could immerse myself in the world's corruption without feeling the pain of denying who I am in Christ. When we walk in the Spirit, we are compelled by the Spirit to do what's right. And so that's what I will endeavor to do. No selfish indulgence is worth the pain of separation and just this disharmony that I feel when I go astray. So, so it begins and continues with prayer. We keep walking and talking with God to receive what he has for us. We seek him and stay in his presence to breathe easy and to grow into who he has made us to be. Only he can show us the way. And, uh, David Jeremiah's Turning Point devotional for today discusses the spiritual aspects of faith that indicate that it is only to those who seek and who God grants revelation that will see his truth. It's something— it's somewhat mysterious, but I feel moved to share it this morning to encourage us to remember to approach God in to receive his wisdom and to see the things, to see things from his perspective. And so the Turning Point devotional for today, David Jeremiah writes, Eyes That See. I pray that, I pray that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened. Ephesians 1:18. When Jesus's disciples asked him why he spoke to the people in parables, he quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 as an explanation. Centuries before Jesus's ministry, God levied judgment upon Israel for her sins and failure to repent. They would be able to see and hear physically, but not spiritually. They would hear but not understand and see but not perceive spiritual truth. Jesus spoke in parables to separate the spiritually hungry who would seek to understand his parables from those who were not spiritually curious. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he wrote to people who needed their spiritual eyes opened by the power of the Spirit. After the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, it was possible to gain new insights and understanding into the things of God. What was previously unknown and not understood was made clear through the Spirit's enlightenment. So Paul prayed that the spiritual eyes of the Ephesians would be open to know God better. Spiritual enlightenment is not like flipping a switch, a one-time event. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you more and more of God every day and what he has provided in Christ. When Jeremiah ends with sharing Dwight L. Moody's quote, Repentance is the tear in the eye of faith. And, uh, I say amen. Um, spiritual enlightenment comes from the light of the world, as Paul said, through the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. And in our relationship with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, uh, we get to know the Lord more and more as we walk with him and talk with him in prayer. So keep in prayer so the Lord can open your eyes and reveal to you what you need to know and to see just how much he is calling you to grow. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick, uh, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Crews. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on fear, and today's verses are Matthew 10:29-31, where The word of the Lord says, are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will? But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore. You are of more value than many sparrows. Today's verses fall under the sixth point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on fear, and that sixth point is Do not be afraid. God cares for sparrows, and he will certainly care— he will surely care for you. Today's verses call us to not fear as a result of knowing our immense value to God. Jesus calls us to consider the things of this world and to recognize how God provides for and sustains things that are less than us, to assure us that God is good and will do the same for us. Who he so loved that he gave his only begotten Son. Jesus assures us that God sees us and knows us, even every hair on our heads, to drive the point home that he considers us to be valuable to him. And by implication, he will care for and provide for us too. As Christians, we have been bought for a price, the price of Jesus's life. And we need not fear because God will certainly care for and protect something he paid so much to save— so much for to save. Anyway, um, we move along. As always, we encourage everyone to go to mtforchrist.com where we always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with our walk. Um, today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament by Stephen F. Allford. Today, Allford prompts us to read Colossians 1, and from Colossians 1, he shares a portion of verse 18, which says that in all things he may have the preeminence. And then Stephen Allford writes, whether they are thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers, he is before all things, and in him all things consist. He is the preeminent one. He must occupy the place of preeminence. He will occupy the place of preeminence, for God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the preeminent one. Even so in the life of the believer in all things, he must have the preeminence. The word all indicates every detailed aspect in the life of the believer. Where he is preeminent, there the fullness of God dwells. And Alford ends by praying, Lord, daily I will give you preeminence in my life. Amen. And Yeah, um, he must have the preeminence. The word all indicates every detailed aspect in the life of a believer. So God wants to be part of your life, all of it. You know, Pastor Vlad, uh, I think it was in the Freedom book, his, uh, Get Free, uh, book by Pastor Vlad Savchuk, he talks about, um, it gives an analogy of Christ coming to live in a little boy's home, um, and the little boy is bothered by the devil who comes knocking at the door And the little boy has to fight the devil off. And, you know, he goes to Jesus like, Jesus, why don't you, um, why didn't you, why didn't you answer the door? You know, why didn't you help me? He said, well, I'm just a guest here. You know, this is your house. You got to answer the door. And so the little boy considers and thinks he's got to give him a bigger room. And, uh, you know, he gives him a bigger room in the house. You know, he gives him a whole floor of his house, from what I recall. And, uh, again, the devil comes. The boy fights him off, barely gets, you know, barely is able to keep him out. He goes to Jesus again. It's like, why, why didn't you help me? Said, well, it's your, it's your house. Still only a guest here. And, uh, you know, you'll have to— it's your responsibility to take, you know, to take care of your house. And so the little boy you know, says, Jesus, I'm going to give you the whole house, the whole thing. Um, this is your house now. I'm just your servant. And Jesus says, you know what, you can, you can sleep in the big bedroom that you gave me. Um, since it's my house, I'll tell you where to sleep. And, uh, so sure enough, the devil comes again. This time Jesus answers the door. The devil is shocked to see Jesus at the door. And he immediately bows and says that he has to vlog house and leaves. And, you know, only then, you know, when Jesus had control over the whole house, you know, was the boy, you know, free from the struggle with the devil. And, you know, the analogy is that when we surrender completely to the Lord, have you fully surrendered, then the Lord will give us the power to resist the devil and won't even be a struggle. And so we, we recommend a complete surrender, um, to give God the preeminence in your life. I know from experience that when I, when I slip up even in a small way, when I go to the world for comfort, I don't feel right. And so I'm giving God the preeminence in this 21-day challenge and He's gonna stay there. He's gonna stay on the throne. I'm giving him the whole house. And, uh, you know, I don't want to— I, I realize it's a burden of sorts for me to choose to do what's right, um, going forward so I don't fall off again. Um, but it's a burden that leads to peace, joy, love, goodness, kindness, you know, all the fruit of the spirit. So it's a, it's a It's, it's a burden that I'll take on, and, uh, I'll lean on the Lord day by day in prayer, um, to remind me of these things. You know, I failed so many times, you know, with this. Um, what are we going to learn? Well, I don't know if we have to learn as much as we have to surrender to the Lord, uh, to give it to him. And so that's what I'm going to attempt to do once again, to give him the whole house and, uh, to just do what's right. And follow him. And that's what we have to do. It's not just about believing certain things. We have to do something with what the word of God tells us, uh, to surrender completely to the lordship of Jesus Christ. So we encourage that. And when you do that, you'll find yourself busy, um, because the Lord doesn't just come along to clean you up and keep you happy in a church pew. He usually calls you into service when he sees that you're free. When he gives you this enlightenment, uh, freedom, um, it changes your whole life, and you have a heart to help others and, and to show people the gospel. And one of the things that's led me to is the Celebrate Freedom support group Wednesday nights at Stars Point Church. That's tomorrow night. Um, we'll be meeting at 6:30. Anyone in the Capital District who wants freedom, recovery, and, uh, discipleship and fellowship, uh, with Christians is welcome to come. Um, you can go to the Starpoint Church website and look up support groups to register for the group. Otherwise, you can just show up and I'll be there to encourage you in your faith, and, you know, try to show you how to walk in the Spirit to find your freedom in Christ. Um, beyond that, um, we— if you're not available locally, we encourage people to find their freedom in Christ through the Freedom in Christ course. Freedom in Christ Ministries, ficm.org, offers online discipleship classes this fall, uh, starting around just after Labor Day. Um, starting on September 3rd, uh, I'll be leading an online men's group, uh, Tuesday night, 6:30 PM Eastern time. So if you want to be in my class, sign up. Um, if you're not a man or you don't want to be in my class, don't worry, there's other classes to sign up for. Um, just go to ficm.org, see what courses they have, see what interests you. And sign up, um, because when we walk, uh, by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, we do get set free. And the Freedom in Christ course teaches you how to go through those steps to freedom in Christ that I went through yesterday, to clean house spiritually, going to break all the permissions of the enemy and resolve all the issues you have spiritually and personally before God in prayer. And when you do that, you walk free. And so today I feel great, um, Anyway, um, are you empty for Christ too? Have you surrendered, Lord, to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? Well, if so, keep on walking and talking with God. If not, the 21-day prayer challenge is in day 2. Um, it's like pastorvlagg.org/prayer, and you can sign up, uh, to join into, uh, the online stuff that's going on. There's a lot of, um, online resources there. There's like a whole support. All these people are, you know, messaging in through this Telegram, uh, software that, uh, that they use, and, um, they're encouraging one another in prayer and just by being there, checking in. And Pastor Vlad is doing messages to encourage people to pray and teaching on prayer and, uh, doing a spiritual reset. So If you need it, it's out there. You know, we need each other in the body of Christ. And sometimes you, you know, you get turned on to a ministry or you become aware of what people are doing. And, uh, you know, I believe that's the Holy Spirit moving us to take part in these things, uh, to help us grow, help us in our walk. And so we hope people will find our ministry to be encouraged, um, to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and experience their freedom in Christ. Anyway, um, it is a 21-day prayer challenge, so we'll pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit that moves through us because we put our faith in Jesus and you gave us your Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. Lord, we just pray today that, um, you bless anyone who's reading or watching or, or listening to our message today. We pray for you to come alongside them and their prayer requests, their walk of faith. And Lord, we just pray for you to stay with us and guide us in the way we should go, as we just want to surrender all to you and put— make you preeminent in our lives, uh, to do your will on earth, to build your kingdom, and to rejoice. Um, Lord, so we just pray for you to go before us today, open our eyes to the things you want us to, uh, see, lead us in the way we should go, because all we want to do is represent your kingdom. And we desperately need your help with that. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.