Getting Through Our Struggles

This is a re-post from my Sponsor from 2011. It comes from an email blog he subscribed to from James MacDonald.
It has great application to our Recoverys as we are starting the next cycle of the 12 Steps. These Steps include DENIAL, POWERLESS, HOPE, SANITY, TURN, and ACTION - wow, that's alot to take on - even if I did have it all together!
So how do we get through all this - stick with God's plan!

Getting Through Our Struggles

Greetings All,

In our struggles to live a somewhat "normal" life, to break through the pain and suffering of this world, sometimes we have more questions than answers and we don't understand the things that go on in our lives. Well, I got another email from James MacDonald that directly answers some questions we might have. The following is from him. It is my hope that this speaks clearly to all of us who are in the midst of the storm of life.

Will I Get Through This?

2 Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. — habakkuk 1:2-4

Many of the people in the pages of the Bible were as confused and filled with questions as we are today. One of the great things about God’s Word is that He decided to include a lot of their questions alongside the answers He gave them. Such is the case of Habakkuk, above. Don’t his questions sound familiar?

Like us, Habakkuk wondered if he would get through what he was facing. But in his third chapter, Habakkuk moves from questions to answers, and he models something for us that is incredible. In response to the question, “Will I get through this?”

Habakkuk prayed.

His survival strategy involved prayer. Chapter 3 begins, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet…” When you think about difficulties, you’re like, “Prayer? That’s hard!” I know what you mean; sometimes prayer can be very difficult. Fortunately, Habakkuk has a few insights for us.

He began with reverence for God’s Word: “O Lord, I have heard the report of You, and Your work, O Lord, I do fear” (Habakkuk 3:2). Habakkuk is ridding his heart of all anxiety, and stress, and burden. He’s also praying to God as He has revealed Himself: a God who is to be feared. A God who is mighty —who can do anything. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7a).

Habbakuk also is remembering God’s mighty works on behalf of His people. This reverence for “Your work” is followed by reverence for God’s Word. And that’s why he prays, “In the midst of years revive it” (v.2). Verses 3-16 review God’s work in history.

After reverence for God’s Word and God’s work, a time of praise is in order. Habakkuk decided to rejoice in the Lord. In verse 17 he says, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines. . . ” God knows what the deepest valley will be for you. But to come to the place where you can say, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (v.18), you are no longer just getting through, you are overcoming!

And then Habakkuk finishes with this, a decision to rely on God’s strength. He says, “God, the Lord, is my strength” (v.19). What a great way to say, yes, I will get through this—God will get me through. — James MacDonald


Journal:

What place does prayer play in my survival plans?
How would adopting Habakkuk’s “get through this” prayer plan affect my prayer life?



Prayer:
Lord, when I pause long enough to pay attention, the power of Your Word, and the evidence of Your work, are always infinitely above what I’m facing. But it’s Your faithfulness that I want to stand on when all around me gives way. I know I won’t get through unless You are with me—that’s exactly what You’ve promised to do! Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This is a re-post from an article posted by my Sponsor - Soon to Graduate from Asbury Theological Seminary as a Pastor! (Way to go Dean!)

The article is from 1-12-2012. The material is from a lesson by James MacDonald, on of his favorite teachers:


I thought since we've been talking some about forgiveness lately that it would be a good idea to talk about it here a little. If you are unsure about forgiveness, perhaps the following article from James MacDonald will provide some insight. I hope you find it informative and I pray that your walk with God is stronger for having read it and that your light might shine a little brighter by way of forgiveness. The following is all written by James MacDonald from Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois, God bless:


"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" - Colossians 3:12-14

Forgiveness is a decision. It's an act of will to release a person from the obligation that resulted when they injured you.

Unforgiveness sounds like this: "You owe me! I'm going to make you pay by hating you, by slandering you, by returning in kind, by recruiting other people to my bitterness. I'm holding this over you!"

Here's forgiveness: "You don't owe me. I'm not trying to get even. I'm not looking for a chance to pay you back. God didn't make me that way. I choose to forgive."

You say, "James, I can forgive today, but I know by Thursday I'll have that thing back on my back again." I understand that. Get this: forgiveness is a crisis and a process. The first thing you have to do is see your unforgiveness as sin. You have to acknowledge that God's not going to forgive you if you don't forgive others. You've got to have that crisis. You've got to stop explaining, defending, holding onto it, cherishing, and reviewing it. You've got to say, "I don't want this for my life."

The crisis means, "I choose to forgive. I'm letting it go." But the process means, when the painful matter comes into your mind again, you promise yourself to maintain the following process: "I won't bring it up to the person; I won't bring it up to other people;" and most hard by far, "I won't bring it up to myself anymore."

Someone said to me, "James, I can't help myself. As soon as I see the person, Bam! My mind goes right to that thing." That's why forgiveness is a crisis and a process. In the crisis you decide, in the process you live it out.

Now, here's a key: When you fail in the process you have to return to the crisis. When you find yourself flashing back to unforgiveness, realize you failed in the process. You've got to return to the crisis. You've got to get before the Lord and say, "God, forgive me. I want to be a forgiving person and here I'm holding this again, Lord. Help me again. I commit afresh to let it go."

Crisis/process. Over time you'll let it go and you'll be a lot happier because of it.