Pain, Wounded Hearts, and Freedom - Purity 1397

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a stretch of South Australia coastline as the sun rises or sets just off screen comes to us from Dave Bond Photography. And I'll stop sharing that screen and, uh, we'll do this instead. There you go. So there it is. Anyway, um, my apologies. We're still playing around with Zoom as we, uh, as we've decided to do the vlog instead of just, uh, audio podcast. So we appreciate your patience during the, the, the fumbling. Um, anyway, I shared, I shared, you know, we, this picture comes to us from Dave Bond Photography, who shared the scene on social media back on May 23rd, 2023. Dave thanked me for using his work on a, on a previous blog post yesterday, reminding me that it was okay to do so. So I'm using Dave's work again today to welcome us to another hump day and to remind us all that the world is a beautiful place, even if we can be wounded by it. At times. Um, the subject of wounding, um, is heavy on my heart, um, as of late, uh, because of the, the, the people I deal with, um, in recovery ministry and my life coaching practice who, who come to seek advice. Um, but also because yesterday, um, um, yikes. Um, Yeah, the subjects of wounding and pain are at the forefront of my mind this morning because our daily encouragements are designed to be an antidote to the suffering of existence and point us towards the peace and joy that are available through Christ alone, but also because I decided to purchase Deeper Walk International's latest resource offering, which is Dr. Marcus Warner's Freedom Course. It's on sale now. It's discounted even more with a coupon code that I'm sharing on the blog today. So if you want to purchase it for yourself or check it out. Um, you can, can get it at a discounted rate by going to the blog and seeing the coupon code. Um, it— the teaching, the Freedom Course, is actually an updated presentation of Dr. Marcus Warner's book, uh, Understanding the Wounded Heart, which is on emotional healing and spiritual warfare. Through reviewing the course yesterday, I was reminded of just how good Warner's material is and how literally everybody could benefit from it, because as he points out in his presentation, despite ideas to the contrary, 100% of us, uh, have been wounded some way and somehow. Whether we have suffered abuse, uh, bad things happening to us, Type B trauma, suffered from not receiving good things we should have, uh, Type A trauma, or suffered from the pain of comparing ourselves to someone else, Type C trauma, we have all been wounded. And if we weren't properly trained in the arts of taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, forgiveness, spiritual warfare, and maintaining our resilience through building joy, we undoubtedly took the pain that the world, the flesh, and the devil threw our way and reacted badly by believing a lie about ourselves or our people or God and making a vow that resulted in strongholds, which led to bondage, loss of our freedom and peace. And guess what? Not many of us were taught those things. Few have been shown how our faith in Christ, uh, the intentional renewing of our mind with the word of God in obedience to the Lord's ways, would lead us to flourish. The enemy's lies cause us to doubt God's goodness and be suspicious of people of faith. Uh, the pain in the world itself causes people to disbelieve in the existence of the only one who can truly help us. As the Sovereign Lord would have it, this morning's devotional offering from my Get Used to It student guide by the team, team from The Chosen, uh, touched on the subject of pain, and I feel compelled to share from it, uh, this morning. The, the Chosen team describes how several characters in The Chosen series have suffered, uh, in various ways, causing them to write Pain is pain is pain. And it begs the question, where exactly is God in the pain of it all? We'll get to that in a minute. But first, it's important to know that suffering isn't a punishment. Yes, sin introduced suffering into God's creation. It's what caused the mess we continually find ourselves in. And your sin can definitely lead to painful consequences. But God doesn't sit up in heaven keeping score, punishing you for every bad thought or deed. On the contrary, Psalm 103:10-12 tells us he does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. If God is compassionate toward us even in our sin, where is he in our suffering? Well, number one, God understands our pain. Jesus put on skin, learned to speak our language, hung out down the street, attended school, and had to work, uh, work his father's trade. While on earth, he endured physical, emotional, and spiritual anguish. He knows what it is, what it is to feel the sting of loss, rejection, and betrayal, to endure pain unimaginable. Um, number 2, Jesus stays with you in your suffering. Experiencing pain doesn't mean that he's abandoned you. It's actually the opposite. The author of The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis, put it this way: God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. When we suffer, God is there listening, watching, grieving, and waiting for relief right along with us. Number 3, suffering can lead you closer to God or further away. The Book of Job in the Old Testament tells an incredible story about a man who lost everything. As his world was crumbling around him, even his wife yelled, "Curse God and die." In other words, just give up. But Job knew better. He knew that, that, that, that would be the pathway to bitterness and resentment. Even after so much loss, Job found a way to hold on to his faith, and it led him into a deeper relationship with, with the God who loved him and did, did ultimately rescue, redeem, and restore him. It was only a matter of time. And on that note, number 4, God's timing is perfect. As the saying goes, God is seldom early, but he is never late. Just when Job thought he wouldn't— he couldn't endure anything more, God answered his cries. And that's the pattern we see again and again and again in the Bible. God shows up in his wisdom in his wisdom and exactly on time. And he'll show up for us too. It probably won't be exactly when you ask him to. He understands the things you don't, and he's working all things, uh, for, for your good and for his glory, which means his timing will be perfect. The clouds will eventually break, the sun will shine through. Because God will never abandon you to suffering. Um, then the team at The Chosen prompts us to pray. Father, you formed the heavens and the earth. You created the world and everything in it. So you alone know what I need. You alone can heal my heart. I know you understand my suffering, so help me turn to you and trust you. I have so many questions, God. But instead of looking for immediate answers and relief on demand, help me to seek and find you instead. Amen. Amen. And that was all from the team at The Chosen. As I said, the Get Used to Different student guide, um, which I've been reading as a devotional practice. It's more or less intended for youth, but I find it— maybe I'm immature— I find it very helpful. And, uh, it's filled with good discipleship discipleship teaching, so I recommend it. Um, it points out that there is suffering in this world, uh, due to various traumas out there. We have all been wounded in some way, but Jesus is the Redeemer and Healer who can bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free. So seek the Lord in prayer, find his wisdom in his word, and go to him to receive strength and peace amid your trials. When we focus on him, we can endure and keep going. And if we follow him long enough, he will show us ways of escape and lead us to a good place here on Earth and in heaven. So keep on walking and talking with God. Check out Freedom in Christ Ministries or Deeper Walk International to find materials that can help you to use your faith to overcome, be set free, or find healing. Or you can go to m.t. clark.com look at my messages and teachings that are on YouTube as well, um, based on a lot of the work from, from Freedom in Christ Ministries and, uh, and Deeper Walk International. It turns out the answers to our pain lie in the one who is often blamed for it but never seeks to punish us, and who sent his son Jesus to save us and give us peace. The Lord wants to help us. And when we seek him, we'll find it. Amen. Um, today's Bible verse coming to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Creus. Um, this morning's meditation verses come from the section on false prophets and teachers. Now, our resource lists all of Jeremiah 23:1-40 for today's point and portions thereof over the next couple of points under false prophets, um, teachers you know, and teachers. So because of issues of redundancy and length, we share the following passages from Jeremiah, uh, 23, uh, which is 5 through 15 from the New King James Version. Uh, the word of God says, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, as the Lord lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, but as the Lord lives, who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I have driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land. My heart within me is broken because of the prophets. All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man and like a man whom wine has overcome because of the Lord and because of his holy words. For the land is full of adulterers, for because of a curse the land mourns and pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil and their might is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane. Yes, in my house I have found their wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery ways in the darkness. They shall be driven on and fall in them, for I will bring disaster on them the year of their punishment, says the Lord. And I have been— and I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesize of Baal and cause my people Israel to err. Also, I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem. They commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood and make them drink the water of gall. For from the prophets of Jerusalem profaneness has gone out into all the land. Today's verses fall under the first, uh, point of our Counseling Reference Guides resource section on false— actually, it's the second point, uh, of our Counseling Reference Guides resource section on, uh, false prophets and teachers. And that second point is God reveals the terrible damage false prophets do in the church and warns them. Warns against them. Today's verses tell us a prophecy of Jesus who came to save us and warns us about the lies, the lies of men that would lead us into sin and wickedness. The fulfillment of the prophecy in Jesus couldn't be clearer here. In contrast of his goodness to the false teachers couldn't be starker. False prophets deal in lies, secret sins, and self-interest. Jesus gave everything for others. So be wise in who you are listening to, and be sure that not only does their walk match their talk, but that they also are clear in pointing to Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. Anyone speaking otherwise are desperately ignorant, deceived, or wicked, and will face a righteous judge unless they bow the knee. To the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Uh, as always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.com, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament by Stephen F. Alford, which, um, and from his devotional, he prompts us to read which, uh, 2 Corinthians 7. And from that chapter, he shares a portion of verse 11, which says, 'In all things you proved yourself to be clear in this matter.' And Stephen Allford writes, 'The apostle makes no apology for the strong language that you— he uses in writing to these Corinthians. In fact, he does not regret that his letter has brought sorrow For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. Verse 10. This salvation was diligence, earnest care, concern for spiritual things, clearing of self, cleansing, indignation against sin, fear, godly fear, vehement desire, longing for a deeper experience of Christ, zeal for his glory. Vindication, avenging the Lord's just claims. This sevenfold salvation was wrought in them through the message of Paul by the Holy Spirit, so that in everything they were approved and pure. And then Stephen Alford ends his devotional by praying, when your spirit reproves and corrects me, Lord, teach me to respond in a godly manner that I may repent. And be clear in all matters. Amen. Amen. Yeah, when your spirit reproves and corrects me. Yeah, we get this— the conviction to change, you know, is effective through the Holy Spirit only. Um, if we try to convict ourselves or self-improve, uh, in our own strength, we might change for a time, but we won't be transformed. And, um, when we seek God and his righteousness, um, all these things will be given to us, as Matthew 6:33 tells us. And, um, his righteousness is Jesus and his righteous ways that are written about in the Bible for godly living. These are the answers to life and death— Jesus and his way of living. And, um, we discover peace, uh, when we follow in his ways. And that's why we do the blog, that's why we do the podcast and the vlog or whatever. Um, we, we discovered it and, uh, we want to, we want to share, share that with others. And we do so through our ministries, uh, at our local church and, um, through our online classes of Freedom in Christ. As I announced yesterday, we're, we're doing another Freedom in Christ course in the fall. Registration is now open. You can go to yesterday's blog post or the one before that, um, to get the links to sign up for the class that I'll lead. I'm leading a men's group basically, uh, on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 online via Zoom. And if anyone's in the Capitol District, uh, our recovery program, uh, our support group Celebrate Freedom begins on Jan— uh, July, July 24th, 6:30 at the church, um, the Starpoint Church. So that's what we're doing locally. And, uh, of course we are also a Christian life coach on a part-time basis. There is a possibility of taking on new clients. So if you wanted to contact me about that, um, you can reach me at M.t. Clark at mt4christ.com via email. Uh, or you can just go to my website mt4christ.com and look at the Christian coaching pages and seek to make an initial consultation. And we can meet and talk about how you want to grow, what goals you want to accomplish, and, um, you know, how I could possibly be a part of your walk to help you in spiritual formation, recovery, or really anything that you want to accomplish. And always with the focus being a deeper relationship with the Lord. Anyway, um, we're pressed for time always, and so we're going to be wise and just pray and, uh, start our day. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for all that you do for us. We, we pray for anyone who's listening or watching or reading today's message, Lord, that you come alongside them and their prayer requests and their walk of faith, Lord, because we all need your help. Um, you, you're with us in our sufferings, Lord, and, uh, help us to look to you always, whether we're, we're we're suffering greatly or we're doing relatively well. Help us to, uh, to look to you, uh, to show us the way we should go. And Lord, so we pray that you come alongside us today, show us the things you want us to see, and lead us in the way we should go, because all we want to do is represent you and your kingdom, Lord. And so we, so we pray. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.