Our Ups and Downs and Doubting God’s Goodness - Purity 1526

Welcome to the MT for Christ 24/7 podcast. I'm M.t. Clark, and this is today's photo. To see today's photo, go to mtforchrist.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or watch us on YouTube. Good morning. Today's photo, what I'm calling Twin Pines and Twin Peaks, comes to us from an unknown Facebook friend who shared this mountaintop experience photo on social media back on June 26th. February 22nd, 2023. This mountaintop memory is yours. Give us a heads up and we'll update the blog to give you the photo credit you so richly deserve. Anyway, well, it's Wednesday and I share this mountain view to welcome us to, well, to welcome us to Hump Day and as a visual representation of the ups and downs we will experience on the path of Christian discipleship. As my battle with finding and maintaining balance, freedom, and victory in the realm of food addiction this year has seen its peaks and valleys, I seek to encourage myself and anyone else reading, listening, or watching this message that as long as we keep— as long as we are diligent in keeping going back to God and to ask for His help, we will receive it. And as long as we keep ourselves accountable to do what's right, to ourselves and to others, we can make progress. Every week I weigh myself, and of course, my— and the course of my results over the last month or two has been up and down, down and up, and up and down again. While I can state that I have been successful in my transition to become a vegetarian by abstaining from any meat since before Thanksgiving, I have to admit big failures in being wise and discerning in terms of the— what of the other things I've allowed myself to eat. I have been cheating on the weekends with candy, and when I do that, I destroy my weight loss progress and become more susceptible to food temptations. The truth is that I've been betraying the new plan that I'm supposed to be on, one that is low calorie, nutrient-rich, and plant-based, by allowing sugar and excessive amounts of healthy fats like whole bags of trail mix in a single seating, uh, that destroy the balance and allows me to doubt that this plan is any good at all. I recognize the truth that the Nutritarian plan isn't not good. It's my numerous deviations from the plan that are the problem. Uh, so consider this to be another public confession of my going astray that will hopefully lead me to walk the narrow path of food plan sanity and what is, let's face it, the most dangerous time of the year for dietary self-discipline. So, I'm asking for the Lord to help me to change my course and to give me the strength and wisdom to make good choices even when the results are not immediate. Having and maintaining a healthy body doesn't happen overnight, but it If I do what is right food-wise, I know and believe that I will be blessed with what I seek eventually. Similarly, our walk of faith can have its ups and downs. In the early stages of following Jesus, we may not immediately be blessed by our decision to be right with God, and we may doubt and wonder if God is good when we seem to suffer for our faith. The topic of doubting God's goodness is the subject of today's In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotional, so I'm sharing it on the blog today to encourage us to know the truth and to let it encourage us to draw closer to the Lord as we attempt to go and sin no more. Dr. Charles Stanley writes, doubting God's goodness. When you face temptation, Remember that sin leads to suffering, but trusting God leads to blessing. Living in this fallen world can challenge our faith in God's goodness. The pain and suffering that resulted from Adam and Eve's sin may cloud our understanding of the Lord. Why doesn't he always relieve hardships, fix our problems, and give us what we want? Yeah, why? When Eve— anyway, uh, when Eve listened to the serpent's lies in the Garden of Eden, she began to doubt God. Why would he deprive her of wisdom and the enjoyment of food that looks so desirable? Our thoughts are similar to Eve's when we don't agree with what our Father says is best for us. From a human perspective, good refers to, to what is enjoyable, comfortable, or profitable. But the Lord has a much higher standard and is always working to achieve his purpose, to develop Christlike character in his children. Behind every restriction or commandment our Father gives us, gives to us, is his loving care for his children. He knows the consequences of sin and wants to protect us. Adam and Eve learned through disobedience that God knows what's best. We have the opportunity each day to discover his goodness by listening to his voice, obeying his commands and trusting his wisdom. Whatever may come our way, we know, we can know, he is working for both our temporal and eternal good. And I'd say amen. You know, I would like to also to say that like Adam and Eve, I too learned from disobedience. I have, of course, uh, to some extent. But to be honest, in my lost condition, I was willing to pay the cost of suffering for the pleasures of my sins of choice. I didn't like to suffer, of course, and would plan around suffering too much, but because I thought life was meaningless, I didn't care and just got used to taking the pain from my mistakes and got better at avoiding the negative consequences of my sins. Or at least that's what I thought. I can attest that sin leads to suffering, but my suffering alone wasn't enough to change me. No, I learned only because God revealed himself to me and invited me to test his truth and follow in his ways. So it's only because of the Lord that I learned that trusting God leads to blessing, that God's purpose for us is to develop, you know, his character, and that his commandments against sin are given to us because he loves us and doesn't want us to suffer. However, Jesus was straight with his disciples in explaining that his followers would suffer in this world, but he also assured us that he had overcome the world. So even though we suffer, when we trust the Lord and continually enter into his presence, we find that the quality of our suffering has changed. With God in our lives, we can endure and overcome. And amazingly, we can even have peace and joy as we go through the trials of this life. So don't doubt God's goodness. The world is broken by sin, but God has given us a way— Jesus and his way— to overcome it. So trust the Lord and receive the blessings of his presence and the fruits of walking in the Spirit, and you will know and not doubt that he is good. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Crewe. This morning's meditation verse comes from the section on homosexuality, and, uh, today's verse is 1 Corinthians 6:11 from the New American Standard Bible. The word of God says, such homosexual offenders were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. Today's verse falls under the 8th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on homosexuality, and that 8th point is: There is hope for homosexual—sexuals. God forgives and cleanses persons of this sin. That's good news. Um, today's Bible verse gives us the assurance that all of us can be washed clean, forgiven, sanctified, and set free from our sins. Our Counseling Reference Guide, you know, added that homosexual offenders to the Today's Verse because it is in the section on homosexuality. But the truth is that the previous verses in this portion of Scripture contain a whole litany of sins of the flesh that addresses people of every sexual preference. And so this verse should be an encouragement to all sinners that are in bondage to and heavily identify with their besetting sin. The message is that yes, you were a big sinner when you got saved, but you don't have to be any longer. Putting your faith in Jesus washes us clean and sanctifies us. We are saved because of our faith in Christ alone. But this verse also indicates that we no longer have to perform the sins of our past any longer. We have been changed, and we can live in a new way that is different from our former darkness. So rejoice over what the Lord has done for you and choose to repent and walk away from your sins of the flesh to show the world that although you once were lost, you found a new and holy life in Jesus. As always, we encourage everyone to go to mtforchrist.com, where we always share the insights and prominent insights and insights and thoughts and work of prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from Day by Day Along the Way by J.E. Adams. It's a 365-day devotional, and we're on day 25, where Adams shares a portion of Philippians 3:16, which says, nevertheless, let us walk on the same level that we have attained. And J.E. Adams writes, the nevertheless refers to the fact that you have much more to learn about your faith. That shouldn't stop you from living for and serving your Lord. It isn't necessary to know everything to do something in his service. Indeed, if you wait until you feel thoroughly equipped, you will wait until glory. No, while you should continue learning, you must also continue living and serving. Here Paul makes it clear that you are obligated to live up to the measure of truth that you have attained. He is concerned not about ending the quest for more, but about living according to the standard of spiritual life with which you are already acquainted. You should live on no lesser a level. Living below what you understand you should is living sinfully. If you have learned what God requires for life in any area of your life, at work, at home, at school, in church, You must live at that level. Remember the pizza— every slice ought to be equally full of cheese, mushrooms, onions, and pepperoni. And that was from— I'm not sure about the pizza part here, guys, um, you know, but the rest of the message was right on, you know, basically that we don't have to be fully knowledgeable to follow the Lord, and the Lord doesn't expect you to be a genius and operate at that level. He wants you to walk with him at the level that you're at, but doesn't mean we don't grow in our faith and grow in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and his ways of living. So we're to go and serve the kingdom in whatever way we can from where we're at and strive to know more and know God more and to do more for him, you know. And I'm not sure about that pizza reference. I'm a food addict, so it just threw me for a loop. I'll have to read that one again later. But, you know, I can have pizza, but, you know, I can't have the pepperoni on it anymore. But the rest of it's within the plan, sort of, if I'm a vegetarian, not a vegan. We're still working that out. Anyway, um, and, and, you know, um, this leads— I love the Jay Adams devotional because it, it points to a discipled life, um, you know, of living by faith and, you know, how we're supposed to be. And that's why we always ask the question, have you fully surrendered to God? I'm continuing to surrender to the wisdom of, you know, ultimate reality and reality here on Earth where you got to take care of your bodies as well as your spirit. And thus my struggle with food addiction. And, you know, I had a plan that worked, uh, sort of, um, but I had to abandon the plan when I discovered the health consequences were not good in the long term. So I had to transition, and unfortunately there's been some growing pains as I've, uh,, you know, went off the rails, you know, basically, um, with sweets, you know, from time to time. And, uh, I got to be wise and discerning and, and, and personally responsible for what I put in my body. And that, that's tough sometimes when you're around people who, you know, who don't mean to but do trip your, your progress up. And holidays do that. So, um, we surrender to the Lord, and when you do, you can get free. Um, you know, I got over drugs, alcohol, and sexual addiction, and I know that the Lord, you know, died for this sin of food addiction too. And when I try to comfort the flesh, I'll probably, you know, progress in the flesh. You know, if I live by the Spirit, I won't indulge in the sins of the flesh. And so we're trying to work that out. But in the meantime, I will serve, you know. And one of the things the Lord's blessed me with is the call to serve as a leader for the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church. It's a Christian recovery and discipleship ministry, and we're there tonight at 6:30 :30 PM in the K-3rd grade classroom. We're welcoming anyone in the Capital District of New York who can get to Clifton Park to, you know, to come and join our fellowship. And we're 2 weeks out of Christmas. We'll be here for this week and next week before the holidays. So, you know, we encourage you to come, and we'll be there in the new year too. So that's that. Beyond that, we also are currently doing a Grace for the Holidays online teaching and support group for anybody might get this message, uh, who can't get to Upstate New York and wanted to get some support. Um, we're, we're doing a support group where we meet on Monday nights to discuss the Grace course. I'm recording the session, so I'm allowing people to, to register for it. Um, you know, basically right up until the end, uh, we're going to meet for 2 more sessions. If any men wanted to join us, you know, basically, or seek out my, my Life Coaching Council, you know, our life coaching. Um, you can, you can go to the group event page, register, get to meet me through that course, get some good teaching, and then, you know, we could, we could discuss, um, life coaching after that. Um, beyond that, um, you know, if you don't want to be a client of me as life coaching, you can get free teaching from me, haha, uh, by going to our YouTube channel um, playlist page, you'll find teachings from us from On the Bondage Breaker, Victory Over the Darkness, Freedom in Christ, and our own Celebrate Freedom discipleship course, among many other playlists from us and from others, um, basically to encourage you in your faith walk. Um, we know that when you follow the Lord, you find his peace and joy, so we encourage you to do that. And that's why we always ask the question: Are you empty for Christ too? Have you emptied yourself of your selfish desires and worldly ways? And asked the Holy Spirit to fill you? If so, that's great. Keep on walking and talking with God. If not, well, we encourage you to, um, just to pray. Pray for the Lord to reveal himself to you and pray to make Jesus your Lord and Savior. Um, we did that and made all the difference, and that's why we know that praying makes a big difference in life. And so we pray every day, like right now. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you that you're strong, even though we're weak and we make bad decisions and we suffer for it. And we need your help. We're asking for it, Lord. Help us to change our minds and our hearts in regards to, you know, the things we eat and the things we give ourselves into. We don't want to compromise. We want to, we want to live the best life we can for you, Lord, and to, to take care of this temple that you've given us to us you know, as our body. Um, so help us, Lord, please. Uh, also, Lord, we pray for anyone who's out there, um, reading or listening to this message, that you bless them in their walk of faith, Lord. They need your help too. Um, so we're asking for you to go before us today, Lord. Open our eyes to the things you want us to see. Lead us in the way we should go, because all we want to do is represent you in your kingdom, Lord, and we need a lot of 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.