APRIL 30

Focus: Our daily bread

Matthew 6:9-13 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

There is much to be learned about God’s desire for relationship with us in the fact that He created us with so many needs. He not only made us with a daily rest requirement, He also made us to have a regular need for food, water, and air. Every child born on this planet has to have food, water, and air—in order to live. The general population is in the habit of eating and drinking everyday in order to maintain a healthy life.

The act of ‘eating’ is a fundamental necessity to our existence—but eating bread alone would be considered extreme. In the context of this prayer, most Bible commentaries agree that the word ‘bread’ is used as a symbol of everything essential to sustain life.

Beyond the details of what is specifically being asked for, we should give our real attention to the fact that everything we need to survive comes from God. Grasping the knowledge that God wants us to come to Him to have our needs met is important—but even more so is the actual practice of looking to Him on a daily basis for Him to provide those things we may require.

In recovery from depression and addiction, we approach life one day at a time—relying on God to give us the assistance we need in order to keep moving forward. As we turn from negative behavior, it’s important to know that God is capable of filling any emptiness we experience.

We have to remind ourselves daily that God didn’t create us with a ‘need’ to be depressed. We don’t have to be depressed to survive. He also didn’t create us with a ‘need’ for drugs or alcohol. As much as our mind and body might try to tell us otherwise—we don’t have to have drugs or alcohol to survive. So, if depression and addiction took up residence in our lives—it was because we adopted those behaviors—not because we actually required them to live.

Once those behaviors are present—it’s hard to get through a day without experiencing their effects. But, any person who seeks God daily to have victory over those problems is assured of finding hope and help.

The Word of God tells us to rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in everything. If we focus on rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks all day every day, we will be doing the will of God. If we keep our mind on God and the positive plan He has for our future—the Bible says we will have perfect peace. People with perfect peace usually aren’t depressed or addicted.

The ‘daily bread’ of someone who struggles with depression and addiction is to be given the daily knowledge that God is able to change your old behavior by giving you new desires. You need to see this change of your heart and mind as though it is as essential as food and water. What you need to continually repeat to God is, “Give me this day new desires”. Think of those new desires like the smell and taste of warm, fragrant bread that just came out of the oven. The taste of fresh bread in your mouth is comforting and good. Nothing about it is hard to swallow. As you take it in—you feel yourself ‘getting filled’. If you’re able to eat all you want, you eventually reach a point of satisfaction. The nourishment brings energy you didn’t have before you ate it. That’s what ‘new desires’ will do for you, too. Your new desires will open your eyes to fresh vision for your life. New desires and fresh vision will cause you to be revitalized and filled with joy and passion to fulfill the purpose of God.

The effects of depression and addiction can kill you if you don’t do anything to stop. If you don’t eat—you will die. If you eat nothing but the wrong things—you can die from that, too.

God has the power to change everything for you. He can keep giving you the strength you need day by day to make it. He wants you to say, “Give me this day new desires.” He is as capable of giving you new desires every day as He is capable of giving you daily bread. What is impossible to us—is possible with God. He wants you to trust Him on a new level.

Don’t worry about the damage done. A person with serious malnutrition can be restored to full health if they start eating the right things and the right amounts. Just like God is able to give you new desires, He can heal your mind and body.

Declaration: I will find new strength by daily trusting God to supply me with everything I need to survive. As I seek Him for new desires and fresh vision, He will restore and fill me so I will be able to joyfully fulfill His purpose 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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 29

Focus: Progress that leads to blessing

James 1:25 (NKJV) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

It’s hard to believe how many people make a considerable amount of progress in their recovery from depression and addiction—and then ‘fall back’ into the same trap from which they struggled so hard to be free. To someone who hasn’t had problems in these areas, the ongoing fight seems futile and difficult to grasp. There are a number of reasons why a person in recovery can continue to be so easily drawn back.

For starters, the fact that a person has made some improvement can cause them to feel like the battle is over and they don’t have to use as much self-discipline anymore. A false sense of confidence in their accomplishment sometimes leads them to believe that the real battle is over and they are ‘beyond’ ever falling as far as they fell in the past, again. With this attitude, they let their guard down. From there—it’s a short distance to where they were before.

Another reason is, the lifestyle of a person who has battled in these areas has usually led them to relationships with others with the same difficulties. ‘History’ takes a toll on many who have made some progress in recovery—as they continue to associate with people who may not be trying to recover.

When a person has spent a considerable amount of time in the lifestyle of depression and addiction—making the decision to work toward recovery is like moving to a foreign country. Everything in the past has been centered around their behavior problem. Their whole existence has become connected to their area of weakness. It is such a total involvement that even when the choice of recovery has been made—there can be a ‘loneliness’ for the past. No matter how painful the past has been—it is, after all familiar. The patterns and behavior tied to their weakness have become so ‘second nature’, the person no longer knows how to live any other way.

Making the decision to ‘look into the perfect law of liberty’ isn’t just a simple exchange of their old life for a new life. There is a need for constant exposure to the Word of God so that their mind not only becomes renewed, but maintained on a different level. Layers of complicated soul ties need to be broken. There must be an active pursuit of a new lifestyle that agrees with wholeness and righteousness.

Progress can only be measured at the end of each day—for that day.

As you are working toward your own recovery, you will experience many different emotions. Some days you will be stronger than others. You may go through periods of time where your past is the last thing on your mind and you are moving forward by leaps and bounds. And then without notice—you may wake up one day feeling melancholy and not as confident about your future and your ability to keep making progress.

After you’ve made some improvement—you still need to keep a sharp eye out for the tricks of the enemy of your soul. Remember, he can be relentless. He doesn’t want you to win. He will try in any way he can to get you right back to the bottom of the pit. He has fooled people who were smarter than you into thinking they could ‘lighten up a little bit’. And that’s all it took.

James 1:25 is one of those verses you might want to print out and hang on the wall. It’s simple, but profound. What it really says is that God wants to bless you in your efforts to walk in liberty. He has made a way of escape for you through the power in the Word of God and the blood of Jesus that covers your past and all your failure. But in order to receive the blessing He offers—you have to do your part. You have to continue seeking liberty instead of bondage. You have to keep hearing the Word of God and not think you’ve already heard enough and you can just slack off on that. You need to be doing what the Word of God says in all areas of your life day after day.

‘Being free’ is a gift from God. It’s not something you can do on your own, but you do have to cooperate. Freedom and liberty are blessings, or ‘rewards’ given to those who sincerely want to recover from a past of failure and bondage. Blessings are for the present and the future. To live in the condition of being blessed by God means you are ‘being continually blessed’. It means you constantly have something to look forward to because the mercies of God are new everyday. God’s blessings for today and for your future, are worth more than anything behind you.

Continue to work with God. He is ‘for you’. He wants you to win this. He doesn’t want you back at the bottom of that pit. He can help you keep a tight rein on your emotions and behavior. Stay close to Him and keep making progress.

Declaration: The blessing of God is more important to me than my old ways. I won’t take my progress for granted and be fooled into a relapse. I will take each day seriously and do my part to keep moving forward.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 28

Focus: Right conduct

Matthew 20:27-28 (NKJV) …and whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

So much of the Word of God is in direct opposition to what we are taught in our culture. We are told: be a winner. Be number one. Live to lead…and so on. Not everyone can be a leader and not everyone is cut out to lead. We can’t all be leaders. But, it isn’t that no one should lead, either. Whether we are meant to be a leader—or not, there is much to be learned about having the right attitude and spirit—and the ability to conduct ourselves in the right manner—whatever we do.

As we consider ‘leadership’—it’s clear there are many kinds of leaders. There are numerous philosophies about leadership and how it should be done. Some people spend years of their life studying world history and the ways various leaders have led. As they study, they learn that sometimes leadership has led to corruption and dominance. Many leaders started out with great ideals, but failed to follow through with what they originally set out to accomplish. Others were changed by ‘power’. Some people got too much control, and made life miserable for the ones they were supposed to be helping. Many leaders failed to lead. Others failed while leading…for a variety of reasons.

When Jesus came to earth, He taught a whole different approach to leadership than what the world had ever seen. He was a unique leader who led by example. In the time period Jesus lived here, it was common for most people to walk to where they were going. They often wore sandals or went barefoot. The dirt roads and paths were dusty, so people’s feet didn’t stay clean very long. It was typical for servants to wash the feet of guests who arrived at a household—as a way of offering refreshment and hospitality—but also for practical matters of hygiene. Some hosts washed the feet of their guests as a sign of humility.

When Jesus began His public ministry, He chose twelve men to accompany Him. As He picked them, He bid them to ‘follow’ Him…and they did. Jesus chose His disciples from among the working class. They were average men who said, ‘yes’, to His invitation. These men went with Jesus where He walked. They observed His actions and listened to His teaching.

One of the most profound things Jesus did to communicate His style of leadership—was wash His disciple’s feet. This was extremely humiliating for His followers. Jesus was the leader—they were the followers. It would have been right for them to wash His feet. But, Jesus insisted on washing the feet of His disciples to illustrate an important quality He desired for His followers to possess.

Not all of the disciples wanted to be leaders. Some of them had aspirations for leadership—but others didn’t. Jesus knew that. But, He had a standard He wanted all of the disciples to adopt, whether they were destined for leadership—or not. He wanted them see themselves as ‘the least’—and He wanted them to be willing to serve.

You may have some failures in your background and you might be at a crossroad where your career is concerned. If you are employed—you could be frustrated with your current position because it is unfulfilling or not meeting your needs. Maybe you ‘picked’ a career that sounded good, but it didn’t turn out to be what you thought—and now you don’t know where you’re headed.

As you consider your own future and what God’s plan for you might be—it’s important to become acquainted with examples of ‘right conduct’ in the Word of God—and how they could apply to your situation.

Whatever God opens to you—remember the model of the Master, who came to earth to serve the needs of mankind. While you’re waiting for more revelation about what’s next, search for meaning in the words Jesus spoke. Ask God to open the eyes of your understanding so you don’t miss anything.

Most of all, don’t be afraid to follow Him. The disciples who Jesus called to join Him were all doing ‘something else’ at the time. Some of them were fishermen—who continued to ‘fish’. Others left their careers behind. When you open yourself to truly become what God wants you to be, you might be surprised what happens. As the Holy Spirit enlightens your mind—a job that was mundane in the past could suddenly become meaningful and amusing.

The important thing is that you are willing to serve in whatever capacity you are called to. Take joy in doing things the way Jesus would—whatever you do. Live according to the right ways Jesus exemplified, and you will never go wrong.

Declaration: I will find new strength by studying the scriptures with an open heart. As I follow Jesus’ example of servanthood in my daily life—the right doors will open, the wrong ones will close—and my future will be blessed.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 27

Focus: Experience

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

No matter how much education a person has had—practical experience in a key element to success. And what is experience? Most definitions will say the word means something personally encountered or lived through.

You may have a lot of experience you’d rather not talk about. We all do. It’s hard to believe some of the things we may have done when we were not interested in God’s ways. Most of us wish we hadn’t made so many wrong decisions and mistakes.

No one goes through life and never makes mistakes. Experience isn’t accomplished by flawless attempts to ‘live through’ something. Usually experience is gained through a lot of trial and error. Any successful, honest person will tell you they didn’t get to where they are by being perfect. Even though many people strive for perfection and try with all their heart to do things right—they still make mistakes…sometimes without realizing it. It’s actually normal to think what you are in the act of doing is right. Hardly anybody sets out to fail. It’s never until after a mistake has been made—later in time—that an error is realized.

There’s a difference between a mistake and sin. ‘Sin’ is when we are fully aware that what we are about to do is wrong and we do it anyway. A mistake is something that seemed right to us—but, wasn’t.

Proverbs 14:12 says, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. So, just because something seemed right and wasn’t, doesn’t mean there might not be harmful consequences. An honest mistake can create lots and lots of problems and lead to a chain of unfortunate events.

So, aside from the sin—how can we live with the mistakes we’ve made? How can we not be ashamed of some of the ridiculous wrongs we did? How can there be any hope for someone who failed so miserably—all the while, thinking they were doing something they thought was right?

I love the comfort given in Romans chapter five:

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

I would like to paraphrase that passage:

Because we have made the decision to be joined to God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we can have peace with all of the sins we have committed and also the mistakes we’ve made. Because of the forgiveness and cleansing we have received through the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice—we have undeserved favor in our present circumstances and can expect a happy and fulfilled future as we give God praise and thanks for His great love and kindness. In addition, we can actually praise God for the trials we have been through and our mistakes, knowing that those trials and mistakes have given us the knowledge we needed to become less impulsive. Because we now know we should live cautiously and not recklessly, our knowledge and experience has given us wisdom and a greater understanding of how to live in right ways that will lead to better results in the future. We can have peace with our imperfection and not be ashamed of our sin or the mistakes we’ve made, because we have the abiding assurance of everlasting salvation and have chosen to be filled with the Holy Spirit—who was given and sent for the purpose of enabling us to fully receive the transforming love of God completely into our hearts.

After a few days at my first ‘real job’, I had to type a letter for my boss. This was back in the days when you actually typed on paper with a typewriter. The typewriter I had to use was not ‘self correcting’. My typing was not terrible, but I had made a mistake or two and had to erase the mistyped letters and retype them. I was concerned because I wanted the letter to be perfect. I was mourning my mistakes and a co-worker made me feel better when he said, “If you don’t make mistakes, it means you’re not doing anything”.

Declaration: I will find new strength by believeing God can create a good future for me—in spite of me and my best efforts—which don’t always turn out right. I will learn and grow from my experience and keep moving forward.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 26

Focus: The characteristics of a faith filled person

2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV) Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Just in case the above passage left you a little bit overwhelmed, let’s break it down into some bite-sized spoonfuls that might make it a little more digestible. The verse contains a wonderful seven-fold blessing as follows:

• Multiplied grace and peace
• All things that pertain to life and godliness
• Knowledge of Jesus
• A virtuous and glorious calling
• Great and precious promises
• The gift of being a partaker of the divine nature
• The gift of escaping corruption from lust

If someone brought you a box that contained all of the things in that list—you’d want to open it, wouldn’t you? If you were given this beautiful package and all you had to do was open it and receive everything mentioned in those bullet points—you’d be ripping off the wrapping to get inside. Yet, the Bible contains all of the details on the list—and few people bother to open the book.

The Word of God has amazing power. It is a weapon against failure that is sharper than any double-edged sword. It is a road map that is able to give the clear and perfect guidance we need in order to find a happy and fulfilling life. But, often we look to almost any other source for help and ideas on how we can survive. God wants so much more for us than just ‘survival’. The list of blessings in 2 Peter 1:2-4 is proof. It exudes abundance. It is the lavish description of the inheritance of faith—which can be had by anyone who is willing to seek and find.

The first item on the list is multiplied grace and peace. How could we belong to God and not be filled with multiplied grace and peace? How could we say we are His and yet live a life filled with anxiety and turmoil? If we were saturated with the Word of God—would we be filled with grace and peace—or anxiety and turmoil? Think about it.

If we knew we had everything we needed that pertained to life and godliness—would we worry we might not have enough of anything? Would we be stingy and selfish—or would we be caring and generous?

If we were filled with the knowledge of Jesus, would we be absorbed with our own problems—or would we go about doing good?

If we knew we had a virtuous and glorious calling, would we be chasing after the wrong things and following the ways of the world—or would we be focused on our purpose and doing all we could to advance the kingdom of God?

If we knew our future was bright and filled with great and precious promises, would we be pessimistic and fearful—or would we be confident and secure?

If our character and appearance portrayed one who was a partaker of the divine nature, would we be so worried about fashion and the approval of our peers—or would we be seeking how we could ‘look more like Jesus’?

If we had escaped the corruption of lust, would we be still trying to figure out how to afford or finance all of the latest gadgetry and trappings available in the marketplace—or would we be content with what we have…and possibly get rid of some of it?

Declaration: I will find new strength by opening the gifts God has given me. I choose to make an honest assessment of my characteristics and determine whether my appearance and behavior portrays faith—or a lack of it. I will grow in right ways by seeking the Word instead of the world.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 25

Focus: Living in the ‘now’

Matthew 6:34 (NKJV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

When you stop to think about the things that cause stress in your life, most of them are probably ‘what ifs’. If you’re burdened with stress—no doubt your thought life resides more in the future than in the present. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know how much time you’ve spent stressing about things that ended up working out fine? If we spend so much time under stress about things that usually end up working out—why do we fall into the trap of stressing at all?

Let’s think about that. Try looking back over the past, say—five years of your life. Can you list the top five things that were causing you stress? In general, maybe you can. But can you recall the details of the panic episodes you endured? I venture you may not be able to even remember a fraction of the intense daily drama that kept you up late or caused you to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. So, what did it really accomplish—and what was it worth? It’s interesting how stress can take over our mind and drive us to distraction—and then a few years later, we don’t even remember the details.

In this day and age it’s practically popular to be stressed out. Most people are. You almost tend to ‘wonder’ about someone who isn’t…as though they have a rare condition of some kind. Let’s face it—there are plenty of reasons to be stressed out.

From your own personal economics standpoint: If you have a job—you usually have some stress. If you don’t have a job—you are probably stressed about that. If you have lots of money—you have to figure out how to manage it. If you don’t have a lot of money—you have to figure out how you’re going to make ends meet. Very few people live in a state where there would not be any reason to stress about something regarding their work or financial status. The opportunity to stress is there alright. How about your family relationships and personal friends? Any stress there?

Yet, the facts are still the same, no matter what the source of the problem may be. Stress takes on a life of its own, when we leave today and start time traveling into the future. If we were able to stay in the here and now, a lot of the things we are concerned with would be irrelevant. We’d save ourselves so much creative energy that is currently being used up in a totally uncreative way—by stress.

We already know stress is harmful to our physical health. The facts are out there. But, what does stress say about our spiritual health? Furthermore—what does it say about our relationship with God? Having faith in God involves trusting His ability to solve problems, provide for our needs, and be the One to carry the load of pressure this life can dish out. ‘Having faith’ is trusting God’s plan for us.

Our culture has conditioned us to believe in a system of living that is far from what God originally intended. I’m not saying we should all go back to nature and a grass roots mentality. But, I am saying we should examine what is really important in life and not live entirely by the secular code. If we seek Him for it, God is able to show us a way to live that doesn’t require the kind of physical and mental strain that people just accept as ‘normal’ today.

What if our home, our car, our wardrobe, and our career weren’t the most important considerations? What if we didn’t have to struggle to balance and maintain the highest possible standard of living we could attain to? What if we were just, ‘satisfied with less’?

That might sound like a cop out to you. Or, maybe it sounds like a pipe dream. Maybe you think things have gone way too far and you are in too deep to ever have a ‘simple life’. Well, I would like to propose that you consider the possibility. There is always another way. You don’t have to settle for the complicated mess you have. If your situation appears to you as impossible, that’s great! God loves to rescue those who have exhausted their resources and have no where else to turn. He’s done it many, many times.

Nothing is impossible for God. The near impossible task might be changing your mind about what is important to you. The most difficult part of changing might be for you to become willing to ‘let go’ of your own expectations and the expectations of others.

Declaration: I will find new strength by rethinking my goals. I believe God is leading me to a happy, peaceful life that is more ‘sane’. I am opening my mind to a new and better physical, mental, spiritual, and social existence that will allow me to enjoy my life on a daily basis. I will stop stressing about the future and focus on living in the ‘now’.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 24

Focus: Chosen by God

1 Peter 2:4-6 (NKJV) Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion 
a chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
 and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.

Remember those times in your childhood when teams were chosen and the members where picked one by one? The most popular kids or best players were usually picked first. Back and forth the team leaders—or captains would choose. It was a time of drama to see who would be on which side. The process couldn’t have taken that long, but for those of us who were among the last to be chosen—it seemed like an eternity.

Rejection is painful. There is no way to make ‘being the last one chosen’ sound glorious. At any age—it’s hard to be the last one picked or just plain not picked at all. We all want acceptance and approval.

We all want our thoughts and words to be valued by others. But, in this competitive world there are few people who are willing to give compliments or credit to people who have worked hard to earn respect. Most people are ‘out for themselves’ and some think showing gratitude is a sign of weakness. Can you imagine?

So, if you’re among those who have not had their efforts recognized—you might be questioning whether you have any worth or whether you should keep trying in your endeavors. Maybe there are times when you feel like just giving it all up.

1 Peter 2:4-6 should bring some comfort to you, as you see it clearly stated that those who come to Christ are chosen by God and precious. In this passage you are referred to as a chosen ‘stone’ that will be used to build a spiritual house. You are not just some ordinary field stone, but a precious stone. Not even a semi-precious stone—but, a precious stone. That would be like a diamond, or some other very valuable stone with clarity and brilliance. Something dazzling.

Now, before you go getting all egotistical about your clarity and brilliance—let’s remember something very important. It’s because you are chosen by God that you are valuable and beautiful and have worth.

In the sight of man—you might not be all that special. But, God is able to see something that people don’t see, when He observes those who have endured rejection. He likes to work with material that has been tossed to the junk pile. So, sometimes He allows those experiences—like not being picked, or valued, or listened to—so we can become just the sort of material He is looking for.

When God reaches out and touches something that is seen as worthless—it becomes transformed. It is His touch that turns your hopeless, rejected life into something useful and extraordinary. The hunk of coal that you are before His touch is turned into something glittering and amazing.

An important concept that must not be missed in this scripture is the fact that you are not some ‘stand alone’ statement gem that is going to be placed on a pedestal in a museum under a spotlight for all to see. When you are chosen by God, you become imbedded between lots of other stones as part of the walls of the dwelling place of God. One stone among many—all of which are equally stunning and important. All chosen. All beautiful.

The verses we’re looking at here could seem to imply that ‘being rejected’ is one of the qualifications for being chosen. In other words, anyone who is not willing to be rejected—can’t qualify for a position. That would really mess with some people’s minds who just have to be the winner, right?

So, if this is one of those days, weeks, months, years, or seasons of your life when you haven’t been able to get over feeling like loser—well, congratulations! You just qualified for the real prize. Getting to this point may be what all of the mess was about. Now you’re where God can see you, touch you, and transform you into that incredible stone that will fit the spot that was saved for you—the spot that no one else could fit into. It is just your size and He has been waiting for you to be ready. What a great day this is. It’s the day when you finally realized that all the rejection has been for a grand purpose. It’s the day you discovered God loves losers and is able to work with them. It’s the day when you became able to embrace all the times you were not picked by people—because you were chosen by God.

Declaration: I have new strength today because I know I was chosen by God. All of the times I was rejected by people prepared me to become a priceless stone God wants to use in His dwelling place. I no longer have to be ashamed.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 23

Focus: Finding the heart to do what doesn’t come naturally

1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

The act of finding the heart to do what doesn’t come naturally doesn’t just apply to doing things we don’t particularly want to do. It also applies to having the heart to do what doesn’t come naturally in the opposite sense. In other words, dealing with not being able to do things we would like to be able to do…or not having things we would like to have.

Some depression is caused because things didn’t turn out the way we had hoped they might. Disappointment runs deep in the heart of any person who is struggling emotionally. You might be grieving over lost relationships or relationships that are strained. You may have tried time and again to settle misunderstandings without success–and you spend a lot of time wondering ‘why…’

There are many things we will never understand in this life. We are not promised answers to all of our questions. As much as we would like to change the way things are—sometimes, we just aren’t given the opportunity for change. Accepting things we can’t change is a huge part of recovery. While the Bible says nothing is impossible to those who believe—it also says that all things work together for good to those who love God. We aren’t always promised deliverance. Sometimes, a trial we are going through is for the purification of our faith. We’d like to just rebuke it out of our way and ‘make it stop’. But, then the trial would have been in vain. The trials that seem to be the hardest are those that involve people we love. Concerning these things, God gave me a vision at a particular low point I was experiencing. It brought me a great deal of comfort…

I saw myself sitting on clouds of the most beautiful shades of pink, blue, yellow, aqua, lavender, and peach. I was younger—but, an adult and my skin and hair were glowing. I had a radiant smile and a full, flowing dress of shimmering, smooth fabric that billowed out from where I was seated and got lost in the clouds. All around me were the most beautiful, happy, healthy little children. They were running and skipping with joy all around me. They were all dressed up in beautiful party clothes that would be impossible to describe. Some had ribbons in their hands that trailed out behind them as they ran. Others were putting small flowers and some little twinkling star-like things in my hair. They were laughing with so much pleasure–their voices were like music…and the feeling of their love for me was beyond words. At times I would see one of them in my lap. They would be looking up at me with sparkling eyes and smiling with absolute pleasure and trust.

The Bible verse, Joel 2:25, talks about the Lord restoring to us the years that the enemy has stolen. I have always thought that meant in this life. But the vision gave new meaning to that promise.

On this earth, we are often robbed. We may be robbed of material things, opportunities, relationships, and time.

What I saw in this vision was that in heaven we will be able to relive all of the times that were taken from us through broken relationships, evil attacks on our character, and losses that were unfair and caused us pain, separation, and sorrow.

If the vision is true, time will be on a different plane when we’re in heaven. We’ll be able to go to different points in our life and relive those days as God would have loved for them to be–in a level of true love and perfection. We will be allowed to spend as much time as we want at any given point just living out the moments that we missed with loved ones who were kept from us on earth for reasons that we did not choose.

I believe the children I saw were my own children, my grandchildren, and the children I miscarried. We were together and there were no limits on time or love. There was no blame or rejection. No reservation. No pressure of any kind. Just absolute, pure love, joy, and peace.

We may not get to see things they way we would like them to be on this earth. Many things happen that we just can’t stop and replay. But in heaven it will be different. All of those things we missed and the circumstances that were beyond our control will be restored to us to live and enjoy without measure.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:4).

Declaration: I will find new strength by counting my blessings. I will be grateful for what I have and try not to think about what I don’t have. I will take comfort that in eternity, God will make all things new—and I will understand.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 22

Focus: The importance of faith relationships

Hebrews 10:22-25 (NIV) …let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As you move forward in recovery, an area that might need work is your willingness or interest in developing deeper relationships with other believers. Going through times of failure and weakness can cause you to feel insecure. While you might be lonely—it also isn’t that easy to make new friends.

It’s possible that somewhere in your background you felt judged because of your choices or behavior. That ‘judgment’—which also felt like rejection—made you back away from faith relationships. The thought of voluntarily placing yourself in a position that could lead to more rejection than you’ve already been through may not be very comfortable or appealing.

In depression and dependency, the enemy of your soul wants you to believe that being around ‘those people’ could be bad for you. He will do his best to plant seeds of doubt in your mind about anything that might result in you moving  closer to God. Don’t forget—the devil, who is referred to in scripture as ‘the thief’, comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He does his best work—which is destruction—when he is able to get a person isolated and away from the faith community. He often accomplishes isolating you by getting you to think all Christians are hypocrites and that you can’t trust them.

God is love and life. Spending time in the presence of God and with His people will lead you to wholeness. Moving away from God and away from His people leads to alienation and devastation.

No doubt about it—if you seek to develop closer faith relationships, you will be exposed to people who are not perfect. Don’t be guilty of ‘writing off’ some who you may not have a natural attraction to. People are not always what they appear to be on first impression. Remember, you don’t find things in common with every person you meet—whether they claim to be a Christian, or not. Don’t base your opinion of Christianity on people you have met who offended you or rubbed you the wrong way. You may have heard it said before—Christians aren’t ‘perfect’, they’re just ‘forgiven’.

If you haven’t been attending a church, try looking for one that offers a Christian recovery program of some type. You can do an internet search in your community and find one. Churches sensitive to the widespread condition of depression and dependency will be able to meet your needs and make you feel less ‘out of place’. If you don’t feel like revealing your needs immediately—you will no doubt see people you can relate to in the crowd.

Most people don’t develop lasting faith friendships by just going to church. Let’s face it—when you’re in church, you’re the listener and somebody else is the speaker. The best way to go deeper is to check out what is offered in the way of Bible studies or ‘small groups’. These groups are usually very casual and are meant to give people a chance to have some fun and find friends. Most churches have a resource table or information desk, where you can find materials detailing what kind of ‘small groups’ they offer. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of being in a discussion oriented group, try looking for one that is centered around activities. A ‘small group’ might meet at the church, another public place, or even in someone’s home. The important thing is that the atmosphere will be ‘open’ and you will have the opportunity to get acquainted.

As much as you might resist the idea of opening up and bonding with other individuals—it’s really what God wants for you. As sensitive as you might be about your past—you could be surprised when you get into a group and start getting to know people. You will probably find your past isn’t any worse or all that different from a lot of people who have struggled in the same areas. Being part of a group will give you a sense of ‘belonging’ and offer you some positive role models who will be encouraging to you.

As you continue to move forward in your recovery, you will become more confident about God’s ability to use your successes and your failures. You will be able to see a bigger picture than you see right now and understand the purpose of the things you’ve been through. Healthy faith relationships are an important part of your future. It takes courage to make yourself vulnerable and move in that direction—but the results of living a life that agrees with God’s design offers lasting rewards.

Declaration: I will find new strength by seeking healthy faith relationships and becoming actively involved in a body of believers.

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 at the end of 2012, 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

APRIL 21

Focus: Getting your house in order

1 Timothy 4:15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

It’s easy to put things off during times of discouragement. When you’re depressed, the act of folding a load of laundry can look like a mountain to climb. It’s hard to approach any kind of project that requires much effort because your mind is so absorbed with other matters. When you let things go—the mess only gets bigger. As it grows, you just feel more overwhelmed…and of course you don’t see any progress.

Several years ago, there was a children’s program on public television called, ‘The Big Comfy Couch’. The main character, Loonette, was cute and clownish. The show was full of good life lessons. In most of the programs, Loonette was involved in amusing exploits that led to a segment called, ‘The Ten Second Tidy’. Throughout the program, ‘stuff’ was tossed here and there around the main room—until it was sloppy looking. At the beginning of the ‘tidy’ segment, Loonette would suddenly realize how bad things were—at which point she would exclaim, ‘Who made this big mess?’

Normally, Loonette had made the mess herself. The viewers had seen it happen—but she didn’t. With a toss of her big, black pig-tails she’d announce, ‘Time for the ten second tidy’. In fast motion, within ten seconds—Loonette would clean up the room. Watching Loonette tidy up so rapidly was entertaining. Cleaning up looked like fun, due to the technical tricks performed in post-production.

This cute show helped children see the importance of taking responsibility for the messes they make. In real life it would take a child longer than ten seconds to clean up a whole room, but actually—some things can be accomplished in a few seconds.

During the show, it was clear Loonette was making a mess. She didn’t set out to make a mess—it just ‘happened’ while she was having fun doing other things. She didn’t seem to even realize she was making a mess. She just never put things away until the situation was out of control. She always seemed shocked at how everything got so messed up…and she always thought someone else must have made the mess when she wasn’t paying attention. But, then Loonette accepted responsibility and cleaned it up. Once in a while, Loonette’s doll, ‘Molly’ made the mess. If that was the case, Loonette still had to help Molly clean up the mess.

Isn’t that kinda how things happen with dependency? Isn’t that how we often feel in depression? –Like somebody else came along and messed everything up and now we have to deal with it.

We can go along refusing to take responsibility for the mess—but that doesn’t change anything. For lasting change and improvement to take place—we need to ask God to help us face our part of the work. In order to keep ourselves clean—we have to pay attention and not take things for granted.

When your life has become unmanageable—it probably goes without saying that your house is not in order, either. Most likely, there are many things that need attention. If you can’t face all of it—try facing a small part of it and accomplish one thing a day. Just one thing a day will help you start to feel like you’re getting somewhere. Clean one drawer, or the top of one table.

If you want to clean a room that seems impossible—try standing in the center of the room and face one corner. Look at one quarter of the room—with the corner as the ‘center’. Don’t look at the rest of the room—just focus on a quarter of it. If you are able to get that part clean, then try another quarter. Just do what you can—but do something.

If the kitchen is in chaos and you can’t seem to get started, try filling the sink with hot water and put everything that might need soaking into the sink. Let it ‘set’ and then start at one end of a counter space and work your way across…putting things in place or disposing of trash until the surface is cleared. When you’ve cleared the counter, the stuff in the sink might be ready to wash and put away. In a nutshell, break a big task down into manageable chunks. Do as much as you can and spend some time admiring your results.

Knowing you are prone to distraction during this time—try to make a practice of putting things away more consistently. It might help if you tell yourself that getting your house in order is part of your recovery program. Truthfully, you need to do some meaningful activities that will help you see improvement. Don’t use the excuse, ‘it will just get messed up again’. Living in confusion is not going to help you have a positive outlook about your future.

Declaration: I will find new strength by taking the responsibility of getting my house in order. Even if I didn’t make all of the mess myself—cleaning it up could be therapeutic and will help encourage me as I keep moving forward.

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 at the end of 2012, 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