When The Rains Came and Experiencing God’s Good Guilt - Purity 1511

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 of a solitary figure wading in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean while the sun shines above. Comes to us from Bonnie Schultz, who shared this scene from her— near her home in Navarre, Florida, on social media back on November 15th. Thank you, Bonnie. Well, it's Saturday, and at the time that Bonnie posted her photo, she commented that the scene down at the beach was so much cheerier than her last beach post, which showed the effects of nearby tropical storms causing a stir to sand and sea, which reminded me that we all face storms in our life, both meteorological and circumstantial at times, that will make us question, uh, what we can hold on to that won't be subject to the winds of change. While all our days are not promised to be sunny and bright, we who have a relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ know who we can put our trust in no matter what. Well, we trust that God is working all things together for good, um, of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. And because he has revealed the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to us, we know that this promise of God applies to us. I was recently listening to Maverick City Music's live version of Firm Foundation., featuring Chandler Moore and Cody Carnes. And I'm sharing the, uh, link to the YouTube video for it on, on the blog today. And when they got to the, um, the bridge where they, where they sing, "Rain came and wind blew, but my house was built on you," I was overcome by memories of those dark but glorious days of transition from my old life to where I am now. And I felt such love for the Lord. Because I have and continue to experience the fact of the Lord's love and presence in my life. I know the Lord will never leave or forsake me because he was with me through the fire and down in the darkest valleys of my life, and I know that I can trust him to be with me forever. Those rains came and the wind blew, but my house was built on the Lord, and he saw me through. Christ is my firm foundation, the rock on which I stand. It's not just a song, it's the truth of my life. Before Christ, I was lost, confused, angry, and sinful. I never thought I could, uh, come to the Lord because my thoughts and actions proved I was no good. I was locked in cycles of sin, guilt, and shame, and I didn't think I could ever be free. But the Lord changed all that. God came into my life when I was as far from him as I could, could have been. I had rejected him completely and wasn't even looking for him anymore, but he used a chance encounter in 2010 to speak his word and truth in my heart and mind, causing me to throw myself on his mercy and grace to make Jesus my Lord and Savior. Since that day, the Lord has led me to be set free of the sins that held me captive for most of my life. And removed all my— all the guilt, shame, and condemnation that I carried with me. Today's In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotional addresses the topic of guilt, and so I'm sharing it on the blog today because, uh, well, to help those who are still holding on to their guilt to let it go or to let it move them to repentance. Dr. Charles Stanley writes Understanding guilt. Are you living with the freedom and love Jesus offers? Guilt over doing something that violates the conscience is reasonable. However, living under a cloud of remorse for no reason isn't. God designed guilt to serve as a reminder that we've sinned and need to repent, but Satan twists those emotions to imprison us. That's why people living in shame often feel unsure of God's love. God's guilt, the Lord's tool for prompting repentance, is a gift that helps us find the right path. However, the devil encourages false guilt, which leads us to feel responsible for things outside our control. This unhealthy type of guilt is a widespread problem for those in legalistic churches or lifestyles. Certain behaviors or thoughts are labeled as wrong, and then people feel ashamed for doing or thinking those things. Self-condemnation stunts a relationship with Jesus by keeping us from authentic, satisfying experiences with him. Instead of enjoying his peace, those trapped by shame fear his rejection and feel driven to prove their worth. Trust is nearly impossible because they are waiting for God's judgment to rain down. Jesus did not come to condemn us. He restored our souls and made us righteous before God so that our guilt is removed. And he wants nothing more than to take your shame away. Surrender to— surrender it to Jesus today, and he will give you freedom. That was all from Dr. Charles Stanley. And I say amen. You know, my life— my life verse is Romans 8:1, because I lived under that cloud of remorse, that worldly sorrow, and the self-condemnation which took away my hope and kept me locked in sin for most of my life. It was only after I put my faith in Jesus and received God's forgiveness that I was able to let God's good guilt prompt me to repentance. And after I turned to the Lord and realized that I was not guilty anymore because of my faith in Jesus, I realized that Romans 8:1 was true about me. Romans 8:1 tells us, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. After putting my faith in Jesus, I was in Christ Jesus, and because I repented, I was no longer walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Those things were true about me, and therefore there was no condemnation anymore to, to me. Uh, those old condemning thoughts that I was no good, evil, etc. were not true about me anymore.. And so I could stand against them, call those statements lies, and, and found— and find peace in the truth that God had forgiven me, taken away my shame and guilt, and gave me the power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to live a righteous life. So if you're feeling guilty, accept God's forgiveness and repent of any sin in your life. You can trust the Lord to help you to overcome But you have to stand on the firm foundation of faith in Jesus Christ to receive the healing and strength that God has for your freedom and victory. When the rains come and the wind blows, we can trust the firm foundation and stand on the rock of Jesus Christ to build a new life of righteousness, peace, love, and joy. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on giving, and today's verses— well, today's verse is 1 Chronicles 29:3 from the New Living Translation. The word of God says, and now, because of my devotion to the temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I've already collected for his Holy Temple. Today's verse is the first of three passages of scripture that fall under the 12th point of our Counseling Reference Guides resource section on giving. And that 12th point is: we see a good example in giving as King David, the leaders of Israel, and others gave willingly and liberally for the building of the house of God. Today's Bible verse tells us that King's— King David's giving for the building of the temple was because of his devotion to the temple of my God. But if we know David's story, we understand that he wasn't devoted to the building that would one day stand, but that his devotion was for the one it was being built for. David wasn't a liturgical Christian whose first experience with God was in some earthly cathedral that directed his gaze upward. David knew the Lord from his people's history, and he knew the Lord through his experiences in the wilderness. David's testimony of the Lord's help in his battles against the lion and the bear while tending sheep tell us that he knew the Lord in an experiential way that wasn't dependent on a place of worship. But because of David's knowledge of the Lord, he sought to give— to build a temple to give him honor and glory, that would give— and that would give the people a place where they could come and worship him. Like David, our love should drive us to give to causes that give honor and glory to God, and that give the people on earth a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven and the goodness, love, and mercy of God. 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. Today we continue sharing from Day by Day Along the Way by J.E. Adams, a 365-day devotional. And we're on day 10 where Adams shares a portion of Proverbs 5:21, which says, a man's ways are before Yahweh and he considers all his tracks. And J.E. Adams writes, the thought that one can get away with his sin is utter foolishness. God knows all your ways. In his omniscience, he perfectly comprehends all things that you do at all times. By this awareness, God also knows how to respond to your ways. There is no way to escape his all-knowing eye. That is why you must walk before him in integrity. I will give heed to the blameless way. When will you come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart, says Psalm 101:2. God will bless and provide all that you need on the way if you but acknowledge him by asking for his assistance. His comprehensive knowledge therefore ought not to be— ought not to frighten, but to encourage you. When you sin, he knows and disciplines you for his honor and for your good. You can therefore be grateful that your ways are before him at all times. Keeping that fact in mind will help you remain on the straight way, bringing honor to God and blessing to yourself and others. Are you grateful? Yes. And that, that was from J.E. Adams, and it reminds us, you know, that although we're forgiven, we're supposed to walk in righteousness, that, you know, God has his eye upon us and he's watching us and, and, and, and you know, we should try to represent him. And, uh, that's what we try to do here at M.t. Clark. Uh, and that's why I always ask the question, all right, have you fully surrendered to God? And the reason why we ask that is because a surrendered life is where you find the peace and joy and the abundant life that Christ promised you. So we encourage that. And when, when I surrendered to the Lord, he led me to repentance. But since then, he's also led me to do other things, like including leading the Celebrate Freedom Support Group at, uh, Starpoint Church. That meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Of course, this coming week is Thanksgiving week, so we won't be meeting. We're allowing our leaders to be with their families that evening. However, we'll be back in December on the 4th, Wednesday night, 6:30 PM, Starpoint Church. If you're in Upstate New York and can get to Clifton Park on a Wednesday night, we invite you to come to our Christians, recovery and, uh, discipleship support group there. Um, beyond that, for any men, uh, out there who need support, we are offering Grace for the Holidays, our online teaching and support group that meets on Mondays, um, from now until the week of Christmas. Uh, we meet at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. You can go to mtforgrace.com, uh, to check that out. We're all, you know, it's a group for men where we're going through the Grace Course from Freedom in Christ Ministries. So it's not— I'm allowing people to register after the fact because we're recording all the sessions, and, uh, you can jump in midstream if you want. Um, beyond that, uh, we're looking to the new year, uh, where we're going to be leading a Freedom in Christ men's course online Tuesday evenings, 6:30 PM, starting January 7th. However, uh, registration's only open till December 10th, so we encourage you to go to ficm.org to check out the course offerings. And if you're a man who's available at 6:30 PM on Tuesdays, you can sign up for the one I'm leading. Um, beyond that, we encourage people to find or increase their freedom in Christ by joining one of our podcast classes on YouTube. You can find our teachings on our playlist page, or you can go to mtforchrist.com and find a page there that directs you to all our playlists, uh, where we have playlists for The Bondage Breaker, Victor Over the Darkness, Freedom in Christ, and many others. So Um, well, that's that for today. Um, I'm happy to be here in my countryside home, uh, and up east in New York. And, um, well, let's pray for the day. But we always ask the question, are you empty for Christ too? What does that mean? Just means you're surrendered to the Lord and allowing— allow— and open for the Holy Spirit to guide you. And if you are, we say keep on walking and talking with God. If not, we encourage you to, you know, ask for the Lord to reveal himself to you, and so you too can make Jesus your Lord and Savior. Um, if you pray, things happen, and that's why we pray every day, like right now. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. We thank you so much for all you've done for us, Lord. You were there when the winds blew, when the rains came, and, uh, you made us— you made a way for us when there was no way, and you've led us out of the darkness into your glorious light. And Lord, so we thank you for that today, and we thank you for your presence in our life today. And we ask for you to go before, before us today and open our eyes to the things you want us to see and lead us in the way we should go. And Lord, also we pray for anyone who's listening, reading, or watching today's message, that you come alongside them and their prayer requests, their walk of faith, because, uh, Lord, we all need your help. Um, we don't know what to do, we don't know where to go. But we know we can trust in you, so we're asking for your help today. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.