Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

Freedom through Confession

Romans 2:14-15

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

All of us struggle with our conscience, trying to make peace within ourselves. We may try to deny what we've done, find excuses, try to squirm out from beneath the full weight of our conduct. We may work hard to be "good," trying to counteract our wrongs. We do everything we can to even out the internal score. In order to put the past to rest, we must stop rationalizing and admit the truth.

We are all born with a built-in buzzer that alerts us to what is wrong. God holds everyone accountable. "They know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" (Romans 2:14-15).

Part of Step Five is to stop this internal struggle and admit that wrong is wrong. It's a time to agree with God and our own conscience about our cover-up and the exact nature of our wrongs. We're like people who have been accused of crimes which they actually committed. We may have spent years constructing alibis, coming up with excuses, and trying to plea-bargain. It's time to come clean. It's time to admit what we know deep down inside to be true: "Yes, I'm guilty as charged."

There is no real freedom without confession. What a relief it is to finally give up the weight of our lies and excuses. When we do confess, we will find the internal peace that we lost so long ago. We will also be one step closer to full recovery.

Admitting our failures is an essential step to forgiveness and healing.

[Judy Harder]

God, Our Friend

Hebrews 4:14-16

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Going to God can be scary. We may associate God with a condemning judge, a brutal father, or some other frightful image. Before we will be able to admit our wrongs to God, we'll need to feel confident that he is on our side.

In ancient times, people could not approach God on their own. The high priest would offer a sacrifice to cover their sin and then bring them before God. The high priest was on their side, even though he had to acknowledge and deal with their sins. We have someone on our side, too. "Since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Hebrews 4:14-16). "Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested" (Hebrews 2:18).

We don't have to fear admitting our wrongs to God. In him we have a friend who understands our struggles and our suffering. When we go to him we won't have to flee from his condemnation. We will be welcome to stay at the throne of God to receive mercy. He will give us the grace we need in our struggle to recover.

When we face our wrongs, God understands and is able to help us.

[Judy Harder]

Overcoming Denial

Genesis 38:1-30

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Admitting our wrongs to ourselves can be the most difficult part of Step Five. Denial can be blinding! How can we be expected to admit to ourselves those things we are blind to? Here's a clue that can help us. We will often condemn in others the wrongs most deeply hidden within ourselves.

According to ancient Jewish law, a widow was entitled to marry the surviving brother of her husband in order to produce children. Tamar had been married successively to two brothers who died without giving her children. Her father-in-law, Judah, promised to give her his younger son also, but he never did. This left her alone and destitute. In an effort to protect herself, she disguised herself as a prostitute and became pregnant by Judah himself. And she kept his identification seal (Genesis 38:1-23).

When Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant and unmarried, he demanded her execution. "But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: 'The man who owns these things made me pregnant. . . . Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?' Judah recognized them immediately and said, 'She is more righteous than I am'" (Genesis 38:25-26).

It won't be easy to be honest with ourselves. "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). However, we can look at those things we condemn in others as a clue to what may be lurking within ourselves.

It takes great courage to be honest with ourselves about ourselves.

[Judy Harder]

Healing through Confession

James 5:16-18

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Most of us resist the thought of admitting our wrongs to another person. We may think, Isn't it enough to admit my faults to myself and to God? Why should I humiliate myself before another person who is no better than I am?

It seems that there is healing power in the act of telling another person. James wrote, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results" (James 5:16). The apostle Paul also commented on this: "Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself " (Galatians 6:2-3).

We may laugh at the thought of finding a "righteous person" to confide in. We needn't worry; the word James uses doesn't mean self-righteous. He is referring to someone who is right in fulfilling duties both with God and man. This kind of person will be just and without prejudice, already made right with God through personal confession. Someone with this kind of righteousness won't be prejudiced against us.

When we find someone who has already dealt honestly with his struggle, our burden can be made lighter by sharing our own. Our confessor will also be able to pray for us in an understanding way. Such prayer can really make a positive impact on our recovery.

Confessing our faults opens up our lives to God's healing power.

[Judy Harder]

Escaping Self-Deception

Galatians 6:7-10

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

We may fool ourselves into believing that we can simply bury our wrongs and go on, without ever having to admit them. In time, we all discover that those deeds we thought were buried once and for all were actually seeds. They grow and bear fruit. Eventually we have to deal with a crop of consequences and face the fact that self-deception doesn't work to our advantage.

"You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit" (Galatians 6:7-8). "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him [God], he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:8-9).

STEP Five says good-bye to self-deception and hello to forgiveness and cleansing. We should note that there is cleansing from every wrong, not from "wrongdoing" in a general sense. Admitting the exact nature of our wrongs includes giving an account in exact and specific terms. It is only when we get specific that we will no longer be able to fool ourselves about the nature of our wrongs. Since we can't ignore God and get away with it anyway, we might as well come clean and be forgiven.

In recovery, planting our confessions will yield a harvest of forgiveness.

[Judy Harder]

Cultivating a Thankful Heart

Be joyful always. Pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
                1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The great English writer G. K. Chesterton once wrote, "You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swim¬ming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in the ink." 

Wow! What a reminder! There's no doubt in my mind that I could give thanks more often. We set aside meal time, Sunday mornings, and my favorite holiday; Thanksgiving. But, don't let an hour go by without giving thanks . . . for your work, school, kids, health, your spouse, your blessings and your challenges. 

When you have a God-awareness about life and when you see and sense Him in your day (in the big things and the little things), it's hard not to be thankful.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  -William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

[Judy Harder]

Humility at Its Best

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. - James 3:13

Though often overlooked, the Old Testament character Jonathan is one of the most remarkable men in the Bible. Being the oldest son of King Saul, he was the heir to the throne of Israel. He was an experienced soldier, distinguished for his courage in battle. 

The Old Testament character, David, was a shepherd boy . . . probably 15 years younger than Jonathan. Despite their differences, however, Jonathan and David formed a remarkable friendship, in part due to Jonathan's humility. 

When David was anointed to succeed King Saul, Jonathan didn't claim his right to the throne.  David wasn't in line for this honor. He wasn't the king's son. Jonathan was. But Jonathan defended and protected David, the one taking his place. He even defended him against his own father. Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, but Jona¬than risked his life to protect and encourage his friend. 

Are you willing to give up your rights or position? Or do you dig in your heels and arrogantly proclaim your entitlement? Surrender what's due you and see God's grace unfold in ways you couldn't imagine. 

"To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness." -Ben Franklin (1706-1790)

[Judy Harder]

Humility at Its Best

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. - James 3:13

Though often overlooked, the Old Testament character Jonathan is one of the most remarkable men in the Bible. Being the oldest son of King Saul, he was the heir to the throne of Israel. He was an experienced soldier, distinguished for his courage in battle. 

The Old Testament character, David, was a shepherd boy . . . probably 15 years younger than Jonathan. Despite their differences, however, Jonathan and David formed a remarkable friendship, in part due to Jonathan's humility. 

When David was anointed to succeed King Saul, Jonathan didn't claim his right to the throne.  David wasn't in line for this honor. He wasn't the king's son. Jonathan was. But Jonathan defended and protected David, the one taking his place. He even defended him against his own father. Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, but Jona¬than risked his life to protect and encourage his friend. 

Are you willing to give up your rights or position? Or do you dig in your heels and arrogantly proclaim your entitlement? Surrender what's due you and see God's grace unfold in ways you couldn't imagine. 

"To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness." -Ben Franklin (1706-1790)

[Judy Harder]

A Glimpse of Glory

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. - Colossians 3:1

Praise is the outward expression of your deep joy! We praise God in worship on Sunday morning. We praise our team when they do well at sporting events. We praise our kids when they achieve a goal or do something special.

Isn't cheering someone's success and accomplishments an invigorating experience? You'll find the same energy within  your spiritual life when you consider the mighty acts of God in history, as well as His acts in your own life.  It will allow you to celebrate the joy and wonder of your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Praise not only is an expression of your joy in the Lord, but it also gives you a taste of what heaven will be like. If you read the last book of the Bible, Revelation, you'll see what I mean. There's a lot of praise and worship going on. I think God wants us to learn that praiseful attitude in this life, in preparation for the next.

Few things will strengthen your faith more than when you cultivate a rich understanding of God through worship.  Praise him by remembering his faithfulness to you throughout your years and by looking forward to his promises.  When you worship him, your faith will be strengthened, your heart encouraged, and your vision of who God is and how he works will grow.

"Praise now is one of the great duties of the redeemed. It will be their employment forever." -Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

[Judy Harder]

Confronting Wrong

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. - Galatians 6:1

God has given us the responsibility to honestly confront those who do wrong. For most of us, confrontation is a difficult task. For a few, it's much too easy. I hope you don't delight in finding fault in others. If you do, stop and consider if you do this as a way of over¬looking your own faults. 

God does call you, however, to help others see the truth. In es¬sence, you can hold up a mirror to your good friends, and they hopefully will do the same for you.

Jude, the brother of Jesus, reminds us that we are to deal honestly and directly with those who do wrong, while showing them mercy (Jude 22-23). Help others see their faults but with great humility. You're not responsible for the behavior of others, but you are re¬sponsible to gently and tactfully point out areas of misbehavior that may cause them to stumble, fall, or lose their way.

Are you avoiding some tough conversations? If you have kids, are you confronting them? And when you do are you doing it with gentleness and humility? Check yourself. Is your tone respectful? Is your word choice uplifting or condescending? God calls you to show courage by addressing wrong. But remember the goal is al¬ways to see the other person restored, not belittled. Help that per¬son turn back to God.   

"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better." - Plutarch (46-120)