Reflections on the Christmas Story

Matthew 1:18-25

King James Version (KJV)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

What a gift to be given! The scripture says in Romans Chapter 5: 

Romans 5:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is amazing to me! I have been a follower of The Christ most of my life, and I am still blown away every time I read these words. Imagine, God the Father, creator of the universe coming to be born as a mere baby..... Helpless, Defensless, Fully Human, yet Fully God:

Philippians 2:6-8

King James Version (KJV)

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

He submitted to taking our rightfully earned punishment........ This is Mercy as only God can show, and we can only strive for. The result of that, that we get to enjoy eternal life with him instead of Eternal Damnation is Grace.

Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you do not deserve. What a better lesson to reflect on at this time of year when we remember the Birth of our Saviour, and all that he did for us. Share this story with someone else! Do not put your light under a bushell, No!

A Study of "The Rod" Scriptures

I have been thinking alot lately about how Christians cling "religiously" to the "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child" mentality. I have really been studying this for a while, and I found a Study that I belive illustrates the true Biblical interpretation of these verses. I pray that God's word will illuminate his Truths in your life. 

The Biblical Rod The "Rod" or "Shebet":An Indepth Examination

- A close examination of the "rod" Scriptures in Proverbs -

Which verses are being referred to as the "rod" scriptures?

Pr 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. Pr 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Pr 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Pr 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Pr 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

The word rod is "shebet" in Hebrew. This word is defined as following in Strong's Hebrew Lexicon #7626: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe a. rod, staff b. shaft (of spear, dart) c. club (of shepherd's implement) d. truncheon, sceptre (mark of authority) e. clan, tribe

Strong's definition: From an unused root probably meaning to branch off; a scion, for example literally a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, walking, ruling, etc.) or figuratively a clan.

King James Word Usage tribe 140, rod 34, sceptre 10, staff 2, miscellaneous 4

Matteh is another Hebrew word for rod. This word can mean branch as a vine and is not used here. Maqqel, which has no meaning that can be applied here and is not used in this Scripture anyway. Choter, another Hebrew word, is branch, twig, rod and is not used here.

Therefore, the focus is on shebet.

There are 31 other Scriptures using this word, translated "rod" in the KJV. These verses will be grouped into categories according to how the word "rod" (translated from "shebet") is used.

THE ROD OF A SHEEP HERDER OR AS AN INSTRUMENT OR TOOLLeviticus 27:32: And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. Psalm 23:4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 2:9: Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Isaiah 28:27: For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. Exodus 21:20: And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

SYMBOLIZING DIRECT HERITAGE FROM GOD (offshoot)Psalm 74:2: Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt Jeremiah 10:16: The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name. Jeremiah 51:19: The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.

SYMBOLIZING THE AUTHORITY OF THE WICKEDPsalm 125:3: For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. Proverbs 22:8: He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

A ROD TO BE USED ON A FOOL (Fool meaning stupid or silly, literally meaning fat...has a connotation of cocky)

Proverbs 10:13: In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding. Proverbs 26:3: A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

SYMBOLIZING MAN'S AUTHORITYII Samuel 7:14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: Ezekiel 19:11: And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. Ezekiel 19:14: And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

SYMBOLIZING GOD'S AUTHORITYJob 9:34: Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me: Job 21:9: Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Psalm 89:32: Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Isaiah 10:5: O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation Isaiah 10:15: Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. Isaiah 11:4: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Lamentations 3:1: I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. Micah 7:14: Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. Ezekiel 20:37: And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: Ezekiel 21:10: It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree. Ezekiel 21:13: Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

SYMBOLIZING THE AUTHORITY OF A NATIONIsaiah 9:4: For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. Isaiah 14:29: Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. Isaiah 30:31: For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. Micah 5:1: Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

Thus all 36 places where this word is used "rod" in the KJV has been recorded in conjunction with the full counsel of God.

There are only a few places that "shebet" is possibly referring to a literal rod in connection with hitting someone.

First let us look at Exodus 21:20:

Exodus 21:20: And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

This Scripture in Exodus says that if this rod were used on a maid or servant and killed them that it was punishable. So, one can see that it had to be a heavy duty instrument capable of killing someone which would be consistent with the idea of a staff or club. If it is ok to spank a child using this instrument, then it is not mentioned here and if it were, then the child could die by its use.

Next, one should examine the meaning of "the stripes of the children of men" in II Samuel 7:14:

II Samuel 7:14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

Here is a lengthy quote from Matthew Henry's Commentary on this particular verse:

I will be his father, and he shall be my son. We need no more to make us and ours happy than to have God to be a Father to us and them; and all those to whom God is a Father he by his grace makes his sons, by giving them the disposition of children. If he be a careful, tender, bountiful Father to us, we must be obedient, tractable, dutiful children to him. The promise here speaks as unto sons. [1.] That his Father would correct him when there was occasion; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? Afflictions are an article of the covenant, and are not only consistent with, but flow from, God's fatherly love. "If he commit iniquity, as it proved he did (1 Ki. 11:1), I will chasten him to bring him to repentance, but it shall be with the rod of men, such a rod as men may wieldÂ-I will not plead against him with the great power of God,'' Job 23:6. Or rather such a rod as men may bear Â-"I will consider his frame, and correct him with all possible tenderness and compassion when there is need, and no more than there is need of; it shall be with the stripes, the touches (so the word is) of the children of men; not a stroke, or wound, but a gentle touch.'' [2.] That yet he would not disinherit him (v. 15): My mercy (and that is the inheritance of sons) shall not depart from him. The revolt of the ten tribes from the house of David was their correction for iniquity, but the constant adherence of the other two to that family, which was a competent support of the royal dignity, perpetuated the mercy of God to the seed of David, according to this promise; though that family was cut short, yet it was not cut off, as the house of Saul was. Never any other family swayed the sceptre of Judah than that of David. This is that covenant of royalty celebrated (Ps. 89:3, etc.) as typical of the covenant of redemption and grace. 2. Others of them relate to Christ, who is often called David and the Son of David, that Son of David to whom these promises pointed and in whom they had their full accomplishment.

When one observes the use of the rod on fools, this would be adults who are "fools" because they are grown and still have no self-control. It would be comparable to a criminal being beaten. This is not speaking of a young child. There are examples of criminals being beaten in Scripture. There are NO examples of children being beaten with any rod.

In most other instances the word "rod" is used to symbolize God's authority or the authority of a nation.

SYMBOLIZING THE AUTHORITY OF PARENTSUpon reading the "shebet" passages in Proverbs, one will notice that you can always substitute the word "authority" for "rod". "Rod" is referring to God's authority and the authority of nations in the above verses. Thus, the word "rod" is referring to a parent's authority in all five of the Proverbs references, including the following verses:

Pr 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Pr 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

In the preceding verses, one can see that the child shall not die with this rod. Yet in Exodus, we saw that a man COULD cause someone to die with a literal shebet. If Scripture were talking about a literal rod here, this would be a contradiction because it says he SHALL NOT die. A person cannot kill another with their authority. They can be striking (beating) the other person with their authority by using their authority to discipline (teach, disciple, educate, instruct) and guide them.

IF this Scripture were referring to a literal beating, taken in context, it would have to be speaking about a grown child. The verses before and after Proverbs 23:13-14 was written by a father who was instructing his adolescent son. However, one still has the problem of the contradiction as far as whether or not a "shebet" can cause someone to die.

Another observation worth mention is the Hebrew word translated "child" in the "rod" Scriptures of Proverbs.

This word is "na'ar".

Meaning of "na'ar": a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer a. boy, lad, youth b. servant, retainer

Concretely a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication a servant; also (by interchange of sex) a girl (of similar latitude in age).

The KJV translates it as follows: young man 76, servant 54, child 44, lad 33, young 15, children 7, youth 6, babe 1, boys 1

This word "na'ar" is referring to boys most of the time (since a lad would be a male) and usually young men.

Therefore, *if* one took these Scriptures to mean literal physical punishment, than it would possibly only apply to fathers spanking their sons who are older (since adolescence can go through the early 20's). Most Christian discipline "experts" do not mention this. Yet, if one is to interpret this verse literally, this would have to be the explanation. Law-based Christian parenting authors say a parent should be able to STOP spanking by the time their children reach 12 or 13, yet according to this Scripture, this parent would not even START using physical punishment until then. These verses, if taken literally, would be referring to this form of punishment as an absolute last resort to save the child (which was possibly a boy only) from hell.

Many Christians have taken FIVE verses and hung a whole child rearing philosophy on them! Parents are told to use this as a primary form of punishment (what these experts refer to as discipline). Some use the word "punishment" and the term "discipline" interchangeably when they mean two entirely different things. These people are basing their theology on nothing more than the traditions of men!

Further, we are told in Deuteronomy 21:18-21:

18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

The parents are told first to talk to their child (he has not heard their voice). Then, they are told to chasten him. Chasten simply means correct with words or blows. It seems they were supposed to instruct, then correct him if he did not heed their verbal correction. Then, if this does not work, he is to be stoned.

If we are no longer to stone, then why do we assume we should use physical beatings to bring about repentance? Shouldn't we make examples of a few children and stone them too? Why were they to go ahead and stone them to death if they would not repent and be obedient? This was because the Holy Spirit was not actively convicting hearts and they did not yet have direct access to God.

Jesus said in the case of the adulterous woman to let him who was without sin to cast the first stone. Parents don't stone their kids because the parents themselves are just as much a sinner as their rebellious child.

Jesus was gentle with children. He is a shepherd to the sheep. The shepherd uses HIS rod to guide the sheep, not to beat them! Psalm 23 uses "shebet" to describe the shepherd's "rod". People have mentioned to this author that the shepherd would use his "rod" to break the legs of a wandering sheep to keep it from going away and getting hurt, so this is proof of how we should physically punish our children. However, this only proves that we should try to keep our children's hearts and keep them on the right path by praying for God to convict and protect them. He is the GREAT Shepherd and He will work in their lives in a much more effective manner than we can. If He chooses to allow some kind of circumstance or situation (to break their legs) in their life, to keep them in the fold, then so be it! He is much stronger than human parents. Our children's "legs can be broken" by natural, spiritual and logical consequences (which God allows in their lives) even more effectively than by man made pain.

This article is posted in it's entirety, It can be found at it's original location here: http://joanneaz_2.tripod.com/positivedisciplineresourcecenter/id4.html

Fighting Addictions with the Power of God: Part 3

This message was the message by the Pastor of my church this week. It fits right into what we have been talking about here in my blog, so I thought I would make it available to you. You can listen to the full audio here: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus - Pastor Bernie Powell 13OCT13

The main scripture referenced in this weeks sermon is Mark 1: 9-20. I thought it was very interesting how this came together with parts one and two of the blog, I haven't been talking with Bernie about the blog, and to me, this gives an example of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of two believers, or witnesses if you will, to confirm that a message is from God.

In Mark 1:9-20 we are looking at the Baptism and Temptation of Jesus. This is from the NLT:
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God's Good News. "The time promised by God has come at last!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is Near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!"

Let's stop there for a moment and break this down a little bit. So, the NLT is a paraphrase, which, I don't generally like to use in my teaching, however, in this instance it seems to be an acceptable tool to use in conjunction with an actual translation. I recommend either KJV or NKJV. The first point that we need to touch on here is:

1) We follow Jesus because, He faced the Same Problems We Have.
One of Jesus favorite names for himself was "Son of Man" The reason, I believe for this, is because He sacrificially became Fully Human to experience humanity, that was how he linked himself forever to us, to cleanse us. What good would a sacrifice have been if Humanity was sentanced to death, and something other than a human died to try to rectify and fulfill that penalty? Hebrews 4:15 (NLT) says it this way: This High Priest of ours (Christ, Jesus) understands our weaknesses, for he faced ALL of the same testing we do, yet HE DID NOT SIN. (emphasis mine)

In Phililppians 2: 6-8 we read about Christ's devotion, and how he really gave up His Godly power: Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine priviliges; He took a humble position of a slave and was born as a human beaing, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. We further read in Luke 2:52: He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. Who is Mary talking about in her song of praise? Who has brought down princes from their thrones? God the Father. Who exalted the humble? God the Father. Who did He exalt? The one who chose to become humbled, humbled anted born in a lowly manger, as a human being, humbled to the point of death, even the death of a Criminal on a Cross. This verse speaks, of course of Jesus the Christ! Hallelujah! One final example which I would offer to you comes from Hebrews 5:8: Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things he suffered. So we can see that Jesus, just like us, learned from suffering and trials. This should serve as a strength to us. We ARE NOT ALONE in our sufferings....... We ARE NOT ALONE in our struggles. We ARE NOT ALONE in our temptations. See also Isaiah 53:5, John 6 and 1 Corintians 10:13 for further examples of how Christ faced the same temptations that we face every day. Jesus also faced persecution like we do, see 2 Timothy 3:12, Philippians 1:29 says: For you have been given not only the privlege of trusting in Christ, but also the privlige of suffering for Him. Imagine that calling suffering a privilege? What a totally different mindset we must have as followers of Christ. Also see James 1:2-4 for further examples.

2) We follow Jesus because, He used the Same Resources We Have.
Jesus relied on the Word of God as found in 2 Peter 1:19 and Luke 16:31 What does this mean for us? Well a practical application of this weould be Daily scripture readings, how can we rely on the Word of God if we do not know what the Word of God says? Group Bible studies are another practical application of this. Not a book club mind you, it is great to use other resources as long as they are properly vetted through the lens of truth, through the Word of God. Join a Bible Study, where the Bible is studied. As believers, our life's goal should be to be students of the Bible. Another application is to memorize scripture. We saw an example of this when Christ was lead into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, and was tempted, He quoted scripture to Satan to fight off his offers of a shortcut to the rewards that God had already promised him. He memorized scripture......
Jesus also had access to the Holy Spirit, we see examples of this in John 14:15-17 "If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all thruth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and will later be in you." So we see here, that Jesus had access to the third person in the trinity, the Holy Spirit, and He is promising us that we have that same access to the Holy Spirit as He had.
Finally, Jesus had access to Angels. As seen in Ephesians 3:10-11, Revelation 2-3 and Daniel 10, Angels are ministers, servants, who often minister to those who are experiencing trouble. They ministered to Christ in the wilderness. They minister to us, often when we are not even aware of their presence.

3) We follow Jesus because, He took the Same Responsibilites We Have.
Jesus was not passive about living out His faith in God the Father, he followed the guidelines laid out in the Old Testament He was Baptised, He showed obedience to God the Father, and earthly authorities, See John 14:15, 21 and 1 John 2:3-4 for examples of this. He also took very seriously the responsibilites of Evangelizing and Discipiling as see in 2 Timothy 2:2: You have heard me teach the things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now  teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Jesus gave this command in the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28 to Go forth into all nations, proclaiming the gospel. and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teaching and making disciples.

This is all summed up in Just ONE Subject: The Lord Jesus, who is our life. See Colossians 3. Jesus is our life. He needs to be our life, for in Him we live and move and have our being. If you do not know Christ as your Lord and Saviour, why not turn to Him right now and trust Him with your life? It is simple to do, and it is the first step that you need to take in your path to recovery. Jesus will help you tap into the Power of God to fight addictions. Simply pray: Father God, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that you sent your son Jesus to die for my sin. I ask you to forgive me my sins, and count me as your child, I put my faith and trust in Jesus and make Him Lord of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Fighting Addictions with the Power of God: Part 2

 He Said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am Strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I have decided to  make this theme, Fighting Addictions with the Power of God. The first installment which was last week's blog should be considered part 1. This is part two. I do not know how many parts there will be as I try to be open to the power of the Holy Spirit. Generally the Holy Spirit shows me a need, I pray and meditate on it, and then I begin to work on a message or blog. I have gotten away from doing this, which is, in part, why I haven't spent much time blogging. I certainly welcome any and all questions and comments here, provided that they are not attacks on my Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. If you would like to debate with me the finer points of doctrine and theology, I gladly welcome those inquiries as well, I would just prefer that you email me personally about them so that we can lay ground-rules.
 It should be noted here that ALL scripture in the remainder of this series SHALL be from the New International Version, taken in Context from the Celebrate Recovery Bible. I thought since this is a series about Fighting Addictions with the power of God that this would be appropriate. As time goes on you will notice that I change Versions of the scripture based on the ability for different versions to be more effective based on the vernacular used, the theme of the series, etc.


Last week we began a series on Fighting Addictions with the power of God. I close friend and brother in Christ asked me in the comments about scriptures that I would use in support of this series. Knowing that the Bible addresses addictions and overcoming them through God's power, but not having ever been through any kind of addiction recovery group, I was unsure of specific verses that would address this topic, so I turned to an Elder, Associate Pastor, and Counselor in our church, and he directed me to the Celebrate Recovery Bible. So that being said, We will Jump into the first study on fighting addiction with the Power of God.
The Celebrate Recovery Bible is based on 8 principles, which are found in the Beatitudes. They are as follows:

Principle One: Realize I'm not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable (Step One).
                                                                      "Blessed are the poor in spirit." (Matthew 5:3)

Jesus had just finidhed is first stint of ministry. This takes place just after His Baptism in Matthew 4, His temptation for 40 days in the wilderness, the calling of His first disciples, and healing the sick. At this point in His early ministry, He had begun to attract large crowds that were following Him from city to city. Let's look at Chapter 5 in it's entirety.
5:1 Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sad down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who morn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are pursecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you falsely and say all kinds of evil against you because of me. REJOICE and be GLAD, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

It is important here to note some words, for example Beatitudes. Beatitude meanes supreme blessedness. Persecute. Persecute means subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, esp. because of their race or political or religious beliefs.

Principle Two: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step Two).
                               "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
This is where many people have difficulty based on their own life experiences. We all have our own pre-concieved notions on how life should be. We have our own biased opinions on how things should work. It is easy to believe that we are alone in the universe when we are living in the dark. It makes it hard to see except immediately in front of us. What happens when you turn on a light? You can see further. So if we have this limited view, that we are all that there is, we are just schelpping our way through life, and one day we will die, and everything will have been in vain, it is easy to get depressed and down-trodden. Once you get into this mindset, it is very hard to get out. Human beings have an inherrant desire for companionship, We have a God-shaped hole in our Heart, our Soul, our Being. Remember the story from Genesis, in the Garden of Eden? Let's look at Genesis 2:18 "The Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." And he caused the man to fall into a deep, coma-like sleep. Then He took a rib from the man, and out of that, and the dust, He formed a mate for man, Woman. Let's jump back into Chapter 2:23 The man said, " This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of man."

So we have an intrinsic need for companionship. A God-sized and shaped hole in our being, our soul. As humans we look to fill that up with anything that we can try to fill it with. It usually starts out being something good. Something that makes us feel good or limits our inhibitions. This can be anything. For some of us it is Sex, Pornography, Alcohol, Drugs, Food, Stealing, Online Gaming, any number of things. We initially do these things because they seem to help us to not feel alone. Not feel so helpless. But  they quickly turn into habits, and then as time wears on, and our resistance to doing them is weakend. Time continues, and We are now numbed to the effects, the feelings that these used to satisfy us. So we do more, bigger, badder things. At this point, I think you must admit, it is easy to see that these things have become an addiction. Addiction An addiction is the fact, or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing or activity.

Fighting Addictions with the Power of God: Part 1

I have been thinking a lot lately about addictions that we face in this life.  I am thankful that through the power of God, and a desire that has been placed in me by the conviction of the Hole Spirit I have recently begun to kick and fight off an addiction that I have been dealing with for the last 4-5 years. I speak, of course to myself mainly, to myself, and then to those who know me of my addiction to World of Warcraft. This game started out harmlessly enough, but I quickly noticed that it was becoming something that I would turn to instead of my God, instead of my family, instead of my friends and loved ones. I put this game above all else in my life, even my own health. 

I know that as humans we all have things that we struggle with, things that if we are not careful, can become addictions, and then idols. As followers of Christ we must guard ourselves against these things as Satan uses them to exploit us, and make us less effective in our relationships with God and each other. The scriptures warn us in the book of James of how to deal with these temptations.

James 4:7 (KJV)

• Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
  
  

As followers of Christ, we will be tempted in these areas of weakness, whether they be sex, alcohol, drugs, business, money, etc. Whatever thing that Satan knows you are struggling with. Jesus was tempted just after his Baptism, before he began his earthly ministry. We should also expect to be tested. Jesus was lead into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Who led Jesus into the wilderness? it was God. 

In Matthew 3 :16 after Jesus was baptized and a dove fell on him. God said this is my son in who I am very well pleased. 

Then in chapter 4 , Jesus is being tempted by the devil. 

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Why the temptation? you must know without a shadow of a doubt that God is pleased with you. You must know that you have been chosen. You must know that you are a royal priesthood a holy nation. You must know that you are the light that shines in darkness. 

Why the assurance? the Lord will send you places. You will be lied on. You will be rejected. you will be talked about. In some of these places you will past and you will fail the test. God does not want you to give up in the tempting period. He want you to know that you belong to him.

• 1 John 1:9 (KJV)

  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  
  
  We must confess our sins to Him, not so that He knows about them, He knows, but more as a matter of where our heart is. 
  
  
  I felt called recently to study this topic as the result of an acquaintance  reaching out to me with some issues that he has been struggling with. As is often the case with addictions, he goes through a period where he does well, and then he begins to stumble. He then comes and talks to me, and we have some really good discussions. I tell him about Celebrate Recovery groups, and he says that he would like to go, and then when I follow up with him, I don't hear back from him until the next time. I mention this, because he has expressed the desire to do the right thing, repeatedly, and he has said that what he needs is for someone to hold him accountable. Until recently,  have not been in a position to hold him accountable. But recently, by facing my own addiction, and asking a brother that I respect greatly to hold me accountable, I am in a better position to be an accountability partner for this acquantance. Please lift me up in Prayers, as well as this brother, that I would be a faithful accountability partner to him, and that he would continue to be responsive to the urgings of the Holy Spirit to get his life right first with God, then himself and those who he loves.
  
  
  Grace, Peace and Blessings,
  
  
  Michael