Forgiveness

May 20

Focus:  Forgetting the past

Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV) Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

I was thinking today about the depth of Jesus’ forgiveness and the quality of His willingness to forgive. The extent of His love is impossible to comprehend.

As humans, it sometimes seems like a big deal for us to forgive someone who has offended us even just a little—when all we have to do is say, ‘okay’. It’s not like it costs us anything more than a tiny bit of pride. For more than a minor offense, it might not be that easy to say, ‘sure, no problem’—especially if we experienced serious pain—but we are still commanded to ‘forgive’.

Think about Jesus and the amount of offense He endured. At any time He could have said, ‘Okay, I changed my mind—this is really not worth it’—or, ‘Okay, I’ll forgive your sins—but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be your friend’.

• According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of ‘forgive’, is as follows: FORGIVE transitive verb 1 a : to give up resentment of or claim to requital for <forgive an insult>b : to grant relief from payment of <forgive a debt>2: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon <forgive one’s enemies>
• Wikipedia says, forgiveness is: the renunciation or cessation of resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, disagreement, or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.
• The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness this way: ‘to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt’.

Today’s popular teachings about co-dependency and boundaries have put strong limitations on the extent of privileges the person who is being ‘forgiven’ should have. Forgiveness, according to God’s standard is so much different than what we have decided is right.

In our generation, people have invented their own definition for the word ‘forgive’. Our interpretation goes more like this: If someone offends you, you can tell them you forgive them, but you don’t ever have to feel obligated to trust them again and you certainly shouldn’t let them back into your life.

True forgiveness should mean the same as, ‘it didn’t happen’, or, ‘I won’t ever bring it up again’. You can’t say you forgive someone and then use that offense against them at a later time. If you really forgive an offense—you forget it.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, there was a completely different standard. Forgiveness was granted when sacrifices or restitution was made. Typically, it was, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. In other words, when someone caused you any kind of loss—you were entitled to bring the same burden on them. God was normally approached only through a priest. There were few people—before Christ—who really ‘knew God’.

Jesus came bringing a whole new code of ethics. In the eighth chapter of the book of Hebrews in the Bible, verses ten through twelve, we read: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: “I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (NKJV)

The reason Jesus died was so we could be friends with Him, His Father, and the Holy Spirit. God wanted us to know Him. He wanted a closer, real relationship with us. He knew we were failures. He wanted us to become perfect and holy, but He knew we would struggle trying to live up to a perfect standard of Holiness. He wanted a relationship with us so much that He was willing to go to great lengths. A perfect blood sacrifice was the only way He could do it. His Son was the only possible candidate.

Imagine someone offending you and having to see your only child die in order to restore your friendship with the person who offended you. That is unthinkable to us as humans—yet, that is what God did because He loved us and wanted our friendship.

Declaration: When I feel that someone who has offended me is unworthy of my friendship, I will remember the love of God that surpasses all understanding. I will follow His example and be willing to not only forgive, but forget.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid

Justice

May 19

Focus: The Everlasting Justice of God

Ezekiel 34:15-16 
I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Hell is not a popular topic these days. You don’t hear it preached like we did when I was young. But the fact it may not be preached from the pulpit doesn’t release any of us from the responsibility to be aware of the consequences of wickedness. We live in a time when everything is distorted. What was once right and good is often viewed with disdain today.

I seriously doubt whether a particular sermon delivered by Jonathan Edwards in 1741 is still taught in public schools. I remember it from American Literature. The sermon title was, ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’.

The sermon was written and preached during a period called, ‘The First Awakening’, or ‘The Great Awakening’. This movement that lasted approximately 25 years from 1730 to 1755, swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s. It left a permanent impact on American religion.

The Awakening resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. In contrast to religious rituals and ceremonies, The Great Awakening made Christianity an intensely personal experience to the average person. It fostered a deep sense of spiritual conviction and the need for redemption by encouraging people to search themselves and live their lives according to a new and higher standard of personal morality.

The Great Awakening focused on church members. It challenged their rituals and piety and the established authority. It caused division between old traditionalists and the new revivalists, who encouraged a more personal and emotional involvement in their commitment.

‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ combined vivid imagery of Hell and many scripture references. It had a powerful impact on the church and is still studied by Christians and historians. In a nutshell, the sermon promotes that ‘There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.’

There are ten well known ‘considerations’ as follows:

• God may cast wicked men into hell at any given moment.
• The wicked deserve to be cast into hell. Divine justice does not prevent God from destroying the wicked at any moment.
• The wicked, at this moment, suffer under God’s condemnation to hell.
• The wicked, on earth, at this very moment, suffer the torments of hell. The wicked must not think simply because they are not physically in hell, that God (in Whose hand the wicked now reside) is not, at this very moment, as angry with them as He is with those miserable creatures He is now allowing to be tormented in hell, and who, at this very moment, do feel and bear the fierceness of His wrath.
• At any moment God shall permit satan, who stands ready, to fall upon the wicked and seize them as his own.
• If it were not for God’s restraints, there are, in the souls of wicked men, hellish principles reigning which presently, would kindle and flame out into hellfire.
• Simply because there are not visible means of death before them at any given moment, the wicked should not feel secure.
• Simply because it is natural to care for oneself or to think that others may care for them, men should not think themselves safe from God’s wrath.
• All that wicked men may do to save themselves from hell’s pains shall afford them nothing if they continue to reject Christ.
• God has never promised to save us from hell, except for those contained in Christ through the covenant of Grace.

The age in which we live has neutralized the Gospel. We have come to see our God as a tender Shepherd who wouldn’t hurt a flea. We must remember, He is still the Righteous Judge who does not change, and we should do our best to heed His ways.

Declaration: I will seek the God of the Bible, not the God of the modern day pulpit. I will remember He is the Righteous Judge and His Word is everlasting. I will search myself and live by a new and higher standard of personal morality.

Note: Information drawn from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid

Finances

May 18

Focus: Enjoying the game

Philippians 4:19 (KJV) But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Sometimes when we are in need of finances—the provision can come in other ways. We might be looking for pennies from heaven—but then something else happens to make what we have go further.

God is a good God. He is not stingy by any means, but He doesn’t always just hand out money when there is a pending need. He is highly creative and talented at providing ways for us to help ourselves or He may cause a shift in our situation to offset other demands to allow more flex.

In my lifetime, I have come to enjoy watching God solve my problems. I have been impressed over and over as He has worked through unexpected means to provide for me. There have been many times I have been helpless in human terms, but God has always made a way where there seemed to be no way.

I will say for sure that God doesn’t have a ‘set way’ of doing things. He likes to keep life interesting. He seems to use variety in the way He approaches our times of crisis. The way He rescues us one time will not be the same as the next—but you can be sure He will rescue.

Some people are in the habit of thinking they have to have everything ‘new’, or the latest and greatest. There were times in my life when I was like that, so I don’t condemn anyone who feels that way. At this point, I like adventure more than paying retail and God knows it. There are very few things I would consider paying full price for these days.

Truthfully, there aren’t very many things I actually need. The things I want, I can wait for—or watch for.

We happen to live in an area where there are excellent ‘Goodwill’ stores. I enjoy shopping, so I make a trip to Goodwill two or three times a month. Sometimes I walk out with nothing. Other times I walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of clothes or home furnishings that are like new which I was able to obtain for pennies on the dollar.

Like I said, I don’t really need anything, so if I find something to buy, it’s probably exceptional quality and an exceptional bargain, or I wouldn’t spend the money. If I happen to buy anything at a retail store—it will be something off the clearance rack or at least on sale.

My car is eleven years old. It has almost 176,000 miles on it, but it drives fine—so I will most likely keep it for at least a couple more years. It gets great mileage and we bought it when it was four years old for a good price.

God has a very amazing way of surprising me with ‘free things’. For instance, most of the furnishings in my home were either given to me or were things I found by the road. You’d be shocked at what people just throw away. I let go of my pride a long time ago and I also see it as God’s way of giving me little gifts and chuckles.

First, He inspires someone to believe they don’t want or need something anymore and that they should just put it out by the end of their driveway. Then—He will inspire me to drive by and find it. I could write a book about the detailed ways God has specifically met needs of mine, or supplied things for others—within very short spaces of time—when I just asked Him to ‘provide’. He is so good.

God is completely capable of making all things work for our good. When we are faithful to Him—He is faithful to us. Even when we don’t deserve some things—He gives them to us anyway. We just have to be aware that His ways are not our ways and that what we need may be supplied in an unconventional way. He is such a thoughtful parent.

Pride is something God hates. One of His goals in refining our character is to make us willing to be humble. Humility is not a natural tendency in human nature. People are like wild horses in some ways. In order for a horse to be useful, it has to be ‘broken’. Horses who haven’t been tamed can be reckless and dangerous animals. People who haven’t learned humility and who haven’t experienced brokenness can be reckless and dangerous, too. They can go through tons of money and have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Learning to be willing to receive in the creative ways God desires to give makes life so much more fun and interesting. It’s like a game. You never know when or how what you want or need, will appear—you just know it will.

Declaration: I will find new strength by losing my pride and embracing humility. I will not only trust God to supply my needs, but I will enjoy the game.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legacy

May 17

Focus: The legacy of prayer

Jude 1:20-23 (NIV) But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

You may not think of the act of prayer in tangible terms, but the wealth of blessings that have been realized because of it can’t possibly be calculated. There are countless stories of people who were on a wrong road headed for who knows where, but for the prayers of a loving mother or grandmother. That may be your story. Or, it could be the story of someone you know—who you could pray for.

In a time of recovery, it seems like there is little you can do for others. You may not be in a position to offer physical help or finances—but you can pray. You may not see that as the treasure it is. The Bible is so clear regarding the value of prayer and how it can be responsible for saving others from the pit of hell. We tend to take prayer for granted, as though it’s a ‘last resort’ effort. But think of what the Bible says about it and what it can do:

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven.

Matthew 7:7  Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Mark 9:29  And He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Mark 11:24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it…

Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body (of a girl who was dead) he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Ephesians 6:18 …praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…

Philippians 4:6-7 …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Prayer changes things. It changes everything. Someday, your life on this earth will be over. You will get to be with all of your loved ones who have gone before you to heaven. Think of the people who are already there who may have prayed for you while they were here. How many can you think of who may have prayed for you while they were on earth? How about older people that you may have never known—who might have prayed for your parents or their parents?  The power of prayer is eternal. You were blessed because of someone else’s prayers. Somewhere along the way someone prayed for you. I did. I prayed that the things I write would make a difference in your life. I

asked God to give me the kind of specific encouragement you needed to read and absorb.

Think of what you’d like to leave behind. Consider more seriously the people you know who could use some extra blessings and give them a legacy by remembering them in prayer.

Declaration: I will find new strength and share it by seeing prayer as my legacy. I will find the courage to ask others how I can pray for them and then I will do it.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The power of the tongue

May 16

Focus: Speaking powerful words

Psalm 19:14 (NKJV) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

As we continue to move forward in recovery, an important commitment is speaking powerful words that will help us keep making progress. The first group that followed the twelve-step method was Alcoholics Anonymous, which was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. The success of these steps has helped millions of struggling people worldwide. The same steps have been adapted to many different uses in the recovery realm.

Knowing the power of the spoken word, I would strongly recommend reading these steps out loud, as I have personalized them, as you see fit. Many people in recovery review these principles on a daily basis in order to keep absolute accountability.

Reading them silently is not as powerful as saying the words out loud:

1. I am nothing without God—my life is unmanageable without Him
2. God can restore my heart, soul, mind, and body
3. By an act of my own will, I am turning myself over to God’s care
4. I will make an honest examination of my moral conduct every day
5. I will admit the exact nature of my wrongs to God and another human being
6. I am ready to have God remove all defects from my character
7. I have humbly asked God to remove my shortcomings
8. I am willing to make a list of all persons I have harmed and I am willing to make amends to all
9. I will make amends to all of them, if possible—except when it would injure them
10. I will continue to take a personal inventory and when I am wrong, I will admit it immediately
11. I will pray and meditate to improve my conscious contact with God asking for His will in my life and the power to carry it out
12. Because of my spiritual awakening and what following these steps has done for me, I will try to help others in their recovery efforts using these same principles

    Declaration: I will find new strength by regularly declaring my intentions as to my desire to recover from depression and dependency. I will find hope and encouragement as I hear my own voice making positive confessions. I will make better progress by submitting myself to absolute accountability.

    All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

    For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid

     

Restoration

May 15

Focus: Making things right

Psalm 139:1-3 (NIV) You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.

There are some ways you can expedite the process of restoration in your recovery from depression and addiction. The act of keeping a ‘clean slate’ is extremely helpful and will make it easier for you to not become so easily overwhelmed by your circumstances. As someone comes to your mind who you may have an offense against, or who may have an offense against you—attempt to release the anxiety you associate with that person or the event they were involved with. By eliminating all thoughts of ill will and hatred from your heart and mind, you will not feel as annoyed and irritable. Sleep will come easier and you will experience less tension and anger.

Something that may seem awkward for you to imagine at first, would be the thought of actually doing something thoughtful for a person who has been a source of pain and bitterness in the past. By reaching out to someone who may not deserve it in your mind, you will make yourself feel better—whether their reception is positive or negative.

An act of kindness toward someone who may be undeserving can actually neutralize the level of emotional stress as it relates to that person—on your end and theirs. You may not receive any kind of outward recognition, but the knowledge that you made the effort will feed your own sense of well-being and will cause an improvement for you.

Doing nothing to work toward resolution or restoration generally leads to more alienation and misunderstanding. Making any kind of a positive move requires humility and courage.

Human nature tells us to retreat and ‘let the other person make the first move’. But, scripture encourages us to do the opposite. Romans chapter 12 exhorts that love must be sincere. It tells us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good.

We are further encouraged to be devoted to one another in love, and honor each other above ourselves. We are told not to lack in zeal, but to keep our spiritual fervor in serving the Lord. We are to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. We are reminded to share with the Lord’s people who are in need and to practice hospitality.

The chapter goes on to say that we are to bless those who persecute us and not curse them. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. It is recommended that we live in harmony with one another. We are told not to be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position and not be conceited.

In closing, we are commanded not to repay anyone with evil—even though they may have done evil to us. We must be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. As much as possible, we are told to live at peace with everyone and not take revenge. We are to leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Instead of seeking revenge, we are told to feed our enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty, we are to give him something to drink. In doing this, we will heap burning coals on his head.

In a nutshell, we are not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good. This whole philosophy is an example of how ‘upside down’ human nature is, compared to the spiritual.

You might believe that it’s beyond the realm of possibility in your case, but I would challenge you to attempt it. Ask God to give you an idea and the opportunity to try it out. Think of it as an experiment. All you need is some humility and a little courage.

The reason for restoration is not only so other people will feel better—it’s so that you will feel better, too. Your pride will often keep you from doing anything creative to work toward resolution. Prideful thoughts will give you the impression that any effort you make will be the same as admitting fault. Try not to think about that. How you may appear is not as important as your own peace of mind and wholeness. Think of your reason for making some kind of move as though it is for your own benefit, and maybe it will be easier for you.

If it’s still too difficult—imagine you’re doing your act of kindness for someone else, not the person you have been offended by. Imagine it’s someone you really like and enjoy doing nice things for. Do your best. Put your heart and soul into it. You will be surprised at the results as you push past your feelings of reluctance.

Declaration: I will find new strength by having the humility and courage to work toward restoration with those who I have offended or who may have been offended by me. I will heed the words and encouragement of scripture, knowing I will receive the boldness to follow through, if I am willing to initiate.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid

Overcoming

May 14

Focus: Standing firm

Psalm 37:23 (NKJV) The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in His way.

God is doing a beautiful work in you. Your recovery is worth every ounce of effort you can contribute. Your job at this point, is to stand firm in the progress you have made and not underestimate the strength of your faith. You must rest in the Lord and praise Him continually regardless of your circumstances.

All of the negative forces that war against you are completely powerless in the presence of praise. Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, you will be rewarded with His mercy. Make worship and adoration your chief occupation. Regard it as your first priority—the most important thing on your ‘to do’ list. If you want the Lord to ‘go before you’, you need to praise Him ‘before you go’. By offering Him praise, He comes closer. His Spirit hovers over you and around you.

When your heart is filled with praise, you are covered with the protective shield of God’s glory. Your life is ‘hidden’ by His holiness. When you walk in holiness, the blinding light of the presence of God surrounds you. Evil can’t come close to you.

On the other hand, if you choose the company of those who are not walking in the Spirit—you open yourself to many evil forces. If you could see with your spiritual eyes—you would not want to leave the presence of God. You wouldn’t want to walk into a pit of snakes or venture close to a raging fire—yet, this is what you are doing when you are enticed and attracted by evil. So, keep your distance. Don’t put yourself in a position that could cause you to falter.

Have a healthy respect for how much you have overcome and stay in the middle of the path. Don’t allow yourself to walk on the edge of the road. Stay in the place of safety. Honor the freedom you have received and hold your ground.

Nothing is worth the time it would take you to recover from a relapse. Take no risks. Some doors have been closed to you that will never be open again. This is the doing of the Lord—not an accident or failure on your part. God  sees your future and He knows what is best. He has His eyes on your victory and has purposely removed some options from you in your best interest.

Don’t mourn over the things that didn’t come to pass as you had hoped. Set your sights on the good things ahead. Those things you had hoped for were fleeting pleasures that didn’t offer an eternal weight of glory. Stay on course! You have a purpose yet to be fulfilled. The best days are not behind you—they are yet to come.

Open your heart wide to receive the transforming blessings of God. There is no limit to all He desires to pour out on you. There is much to be done and you will be of much use to the Master if you will allow Him to fill you more fully. You may have been filled in the past, but your capacity has deepened. As your capacity increases—there is room for a greater infilling. So, receive. Breathe in the Holy Spirit of God. Take His abundance into every part of your being. Let there be no empty places—no hidden recesses that have been unpenetrated by His power.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Draw from His strength each day for every trial you meet. Peace and joy will be yours as you walk in the divine favor that is the reward of obedience. As long as you are connected to your source and are moving in obedience, you will not lack power.

Continue to show compassion and forgiveness to those who have wronged you. The more you are able to release them, the more liberated you will become. Be the example. Be eager to humble yourself. Always give the benefit of the doubt. Remember the model of mercy portrayed by your Savior and Lord.

Stay in the moment. Don’t run ahead of the purposes and plans God has for you. Don’t miss the blessing of today by allowing your thoughts to be consumed with the future. Live in the present. Embrace this moment in time. It is not to be wasted. There is light to be had in this hour.

Your life is a miracle. You have been redeemed. There is nothing to fear or regret. You are loved with an everlasting love. You are held by invisible arms of protection and security. Nothing will harm you if you will stay in the place of shelter. Put aside all doubt and anxiety. God will not allow you to see a bitter end. All He is looking for is the childlike trust of your hand in His—and your feet taking step for step with Him.

Almighty God is your healer and provider. He has given you the blood of the Lamb and the Name of Jesus as unfailing and powerful tokens of His faithfulness. His ever present Holy Spirit is your teacher, comforter, and guide.

Declaration: I will delight myself in the Lord and allow Him to order my steps. I will stand firm as an overcomer and find new strength by daily recalling the promises of God and all He has done for me.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/videos?view=1&flow=grid