Through the Forest to the Joy and Hope of Our Savior - Purity 1534

Welcome to the MT for Christ 24/7 podcast. I am 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 you can watch us on YouTube. Good morning. Today's photo of a view of a large body of water through the window of a golden harvest autumn forest comes to us from an unknown Facebook friend who shared this scene on social media back on October 24th, 2023. This photo memory is yours. Let us know and we will photo credit you on the blog after the fact. Well, it's Friday, thank God, and I'm— and I share today's photo because I have that feeling of being on the verge of coming out of the forest and being able to see the paradise that lies on just the other side of the last stand of trees. And we need only go a little bit longer to get there because I have just one more workday to get through before I get to rejoice. I say again, rejoice, and enjoy my Christmas to New Year's vacation. I love this time of year, and I will always try to take time off to enjoy it. Uh, not only is it Christmas time, but it's also the end of the year, and I feel that the season should be used to reflect on the goodness of God and to contemplate our life's journey up to this point and to, to and to prepare our hearts for the new year ahead. Right now I am positively on fire with joy because I am thankful for what the Lord has done in my life, and I'm excited to see what the, uh, what, what he will do in the new year. Um, more about that later. Um, last night I met with a life coaching client, and I was overjoyed to see how the Lord has blessed his life, uh, since he decided to really seek the Lord, uh, about a year ago. Not that his life doesn't have any problems or frustrations or that he's accomplished all his goals, but my client has really, has been really blessed and his family is thriving. He shared some really amazing experiences he has had lately that showed him how fortunate he is to be where he is now and reminded him of the wonder of the Christmas story. Things are going so well in his life and his immediate future seems to be filled with opportunities to experience more joy. So all I had to do to coach him was to tell him to enjoy Christmas and to appreciate the time, uh, appreciate the time and all that the Lord has done for him. A year ago, he was struggling with symptoms of grief, depression, and anxiety, and now he is at peace. That's what God does when we start walking with him. He leads us out of the darkness of the forest and shows us the oasis before us. And sometimes all that is needed to experience peace and joy in our lives is to bring God into it, to show us what a wonderful life we already have. Um, he saves us from ourselves and the world and all its problems. Speaking of Savior, the Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah devotion for today is entitled that, and I am sharing it on the blog to help us all to remember how good it is to have a friend in Jesus and a Savior for our souls. Um, David Jeremiah writes Savior, and he shares John 4:42, which says, we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Jesus, Emmanuel, Messiah, King of Righteousness, Prince of Peace, Son of David, Cornerstone, Lion of Judah, Morning Star, Redeemer, Lamb of God, Counselor, God, Lord, Word, Advocate, Shepherd, Master, Servant, Holy One, Rabbi, Carpenter. You can find hundreds of names and titles for Jesus in the Bible. One was given by the angels: For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior. Luke 2:11. The Greek word soter means someone who can make safe, deliver from a threat, and bring safe and sound out of a difficult situation. Whenever you need a savior, you need one badly to save you from drowning, from a fire, from a medical emergency. Jesus does all that and more. When we were sinking deep in sin, he saved us. When we were in danger of hell, he saved us. When we were dying inwardly and eternally, he rescues us. It takes all the names in the Bible to describe him. But aren't you glad Savior is among them? Ponder his saving power today and rejoice. And he also shares, um, a quote from Fanny Crosby, which says, I must have the Savior near me, for I dare not go alone. I must feel his presence near me and his arms around me thrown. Amen. Get a big hug from Jesus. Um, in my morning prayers, uh, and Bible study, I was overcome by the goodness of this the Lord this morning. Um, as I was thanking God for who I am in Christ, uh, as I normally do, I had a, a fresh realization of all that the Lord has saved me from and all the, all the truly earth-shattering moments I've had, have experienced of the Lord's manifest presence in my life. As I declared, I am a citizen of heaven, from the Who I Am in Christ list, I was struck by the wonder, by wonder, as I was reminded that I had lots of experiential evidence that this is true. God didn't just say, give me a sense that I was forgiven or was on the right path. God showed up in my life so many times and is continually with me as I walk by faith that I have no doubts about him. Often as we go through life, we focus on our problems and how we are falling short of who we want to be. But this morning, the Lord reminded me of all that has happened since coming to faith in Jesus and showed me how I was saved from the darkness of my past and given a new life of freedom, victory, and joy. As I read John 20 for Bible study, I suddenly was overcome by strong emotions and moved to tears when reading about the resurrection and Jesus showing up in the midst of the apostles declaring peace. I was basically crying, and yet I was filled with joy over the fact that Jesus was alive and encouraging Doubting Thomas. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe. To which the skeptic declared, my Lord and my God. And that's who Jesus is to me too. My Lord and my God. Like Thomas, the Lord has removed all doubts from my mind because he showed up in my life. And he has never left me since the day I first believed. But the world will cause us to look at what's wrong when the truth is that in Christ nothing is too bad to not be endured with the joy of knowing that I have a Savior and I am a citizen of heaven. Today's Bible verse comes to us from The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's meditation verse comes from the section on hope And today's verse is 1 Thessalonians 1:3 from the NLT. Uh, the word of God says, as we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today's verse falls under the 8th point of our Counseling Reference Guide resource section on hope, and that 8th point is hope produces endurance and perseverance. Today's Bible verse reminds us of the joy we can have when we contemplate the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ and how their hope in the Lord pours out of them in their faithfulness and good works. God put us in the body of Christ together to help one another. The gospel is countercultural, and so there is palpable resistance from the world, the flesh, and the devil to, to living in it. So we need to encourage one another by the way we live, to show one another of the hope that we have in Jesus. We are faithful to do what's right according to God's word because we know we have a Savior and our futures are secure. We have hope, and when we represent God's kingdom through our witness, we show the world and our brothers and sisters in Christ that our hope is alive. So let me encourage you to be faithful because your example and enduring good works inspire me and remind me of the hope that we have in Jesus. 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 their walk. Um, 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 33, uh, where Adam shares a portion of 1 Peter 1:13, which says, "Buckling the belts of your minds for action, keeping level-headed, set your hope entirely on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." And J.E. Adams writes, as you anticipate the grace that you expect at Christ's glorious revelation, you'll be ready to take on whatever trials you must face here In biblical times, when one tucked up his garments into his belt, he thereby indicated his readiness to work or fight. Strenuous activity lay ahead, and he got himself ready for it. Along the road that you travel, as you anticipate what is to come, recognize that you will encounter obstacles. You must prepare yourself mentally to meet them. Thinking ahead to all that will be yours at his return, you will be able to Your mental state will determine in large measure— will determine in large measure your ability to deal with the satanic obstructions and barriers that you may find along the way. These hindrances should be expected, and you need to readily meet them by keeping your thoughts fixed on the grace, help, mercy, and free goodness that awaits you. And even now is to some extent present, but in the day of his magnificent coming, it will overflow and overwhelm. Amen. Amen. How do we deal with hard times in the future? Well, two ways. Um, we remember how God was faithful in the past, and we, we understand that God will be faithful now. Um, and we think about the future, uh, coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we got We got evidence of God's goodness in our past, and we have the promise of God's goodness for the future, as Jesus Christ will return one day in glory to reclaim all of God's kingdom, to take back what was stolen from the enemy. And he's already done that, and it's just a matter for, you know, the battle's been won. It's just a matter for for time to show the true victory and, you know, the wonder of what God has already done, that he saved us. And he's going to, you know, basically come in judgment to judge the living and the dead. Those who have rebelled against him and who refuse to bow the knee will bow the knee all the same. But those who've accepted him and got past their doubts and decided, like Thomas, not to be faithless anymore but to believe, um, will inherit an amazing future. And that's the hope that Jesus gives us. And that's why I always ask the question: are you fully surrendered to God? Have you fully surrendered to God? Um, have you made Jesus your Lord and Savior? You know, have you put your trust in him? Are you living according to what God's word says? We encourage you to do that because it, it's the meaning of life, guys. That's what it is. We were put on this earth to examine our lives and make a decision. How are we going to live? Are we going to recognize the creator of all existence as good and agree that Jesus was the Son of God, is the Son of God, and is God the Son, and put our faith in him. Um, that's our purpose, to find him and to follow him as well. And when you do that, he leads you to the newness of life. And, you know, and when, when you walk in the spirit, you discover peace and joy and love, and you also discover your purpose. Um, part of my purpose is to lead the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church. We'll be meeting in the new starting on January 8th, right? Yeah, Wednesday's the 8th. Um, Wednesday night, uh, 6:30, we'll be doing the whole series of, uh, Celebrate Recovery teachings again, uh, in the new year. And, uh, we always bring more to the table with our expertise and knowledge and, uh, Freedom in Christ, Deeper Walk International, and our own walk of faith, uh, you know, basically that goes beyond the teachings. Um, we share our testimony quite and our ongoing testimony all the time. And, um, that's what Celebrate Freedom is all about. And, um, you know, the Lord put on my heart yesterday to not just keep, uh, Celebrate Freedom, uh, in the four walls of the church, but to take it outside and to offer it to anyone and everyone and anyone who, who wants to seek the Lord, uh, to get freedom and healing, uh, online, um, basically So you don't have to be in Upstate New York and get to Clifton Park on a Wednesday night to experience it, but you do have to turn on your PC or your phone or whatever you have to connect to Zoom with our Monday meeting that starts January 6th, Mondays. So we'll be doing Celebrate Freedom online. It'll be a little different from the in-person group, but it'll be filled with the truth of God's word and the hope for a new life to get over those hurts, habits, and hangups. It's for Christian recovery. And discipleship. It changed my life, um, and, you know, so we're gonna, we're gonna preach this good news and, you know, basically encourage others to, to, you know, repent and find the joy set before them that the Lord is offering them. That new abundant life of hope, um, is available, and we're going to try to teach you about that. Celebrate Freedom, um, online now. So go to mtforchrist.com, group events, page, group coaching events page, as this will be a coaching, as I'll be encouraging you to, you know, follow this truth and live this life. I'll coach you, and if you do what the coach says, you know, and you follow Jesus, you'll, you'll be all right. Anyway, beyond that, if you're too timid, uh, to join us either in person or online, we still can encourage you all the same, uh, through our online teachings, uh, basically to where we believe you can find or increase your freedom Christ, um, by, by listening in. Uh, basically we, uh, have teachings on The Bondage Breaker, Victory Over the Darkness, and Freedom in Christ, and our very own Celebrate Freedom discipleship course, among many other playlists that are available on our YouTube channel and our, uh, our website, m.t. forchrist.com. So we invite you to check those out and, um, you know, subscribe today to our YouTube channel. Um, beyond that, uh, you know, this is the last, you know, this is the last day before vacation, so I'm looking forward to getting there and getting it done. So let's, let's pray. Um, Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, thank you so much for reminding me of, um, how you delivered me and set me free, and that I don't have to beat myself up about every little failure or that I'm not doing everything, that I'd like to do, that I can rejoice over what's been done and look at that and know that you will do it again in these other areas of my life that I, I still want to correct. And I thank you for the, the call of my life to, uh, speak your truth, um, Lord, and to encourage others to find their freedom in Christ. Um, but we need your help today too, Lord. Um, we— you've helped us so far, and we want some more of that. So we want you to go before us today, open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and lead us the way we should go. Because on our own, we're all— we're lost. Um, but with you, we have a Savior and a friend who can guide us in the way we should go. So we're asking you to help us. And Lord, we're asking for you to help anyone who's reading or listening today's message as well. They'd come alongside them and their prayer request. And their life of faith, um, Lord, because they need your help too, that they need to know you, um, and to experience the wonders of your love, um, to lead them into a life of peace and hope and joy. And Lord, we're asking for that all for all of us today. And Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.