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Keep It Real

by Shannon Heiden  
12/23/2008 / Devotionals

This poor woman called, and the LORD heard her; he saved her out of all her troubles.
Psalm 34:6

Beautiful One, I've never seen anyone be Triumphant that didn't walk through Trouble first

I know it is not popular and there is a lot of shame involved but one of the hardest things for a Christian to admit is; 'I'm in trouble." We have Jesus, we go to church and we have our Christian friends but the real truth is: Every one of us is a work in progress and no one has arrived, show me someone who has arrived and I will show you someone who has gone to be with the Lord!

Have you ever stopped to wonder why pornography is ripping apart our homes and families? Or why the divorce rate in the church is higher than in the world? Why are our children so complacent about the things of God and we are seeing more drug use and sexual activity amongst them than ever before? We have more Christians living together outside of marriage and the fact of this present world is 1 out of every 4 families is in crisis. Every 2 hours 3 teenagers contract a sexual disease and more people than we realize are just 1 paycheck away from being homeless.Maybe we never did a street drug, but how many are addicted to prescription pills that come nicely packaged and very discreetly from a doctor's office?

Think of how many times you have personally been struck by trouble and you have showed up on a Sunday morning, smiling, praising, and fellowshipping but you were dying on the inside because you didn't know how to reach out or were too ashamed to admit "you're in trouble", or maybe you thought, if you just kept busy doing the work of the Lord, it would somehow go away.

Beautiful one, there is no shame in saying "Help me, I'm in trouble and I don't know what to do..."

When we come face to face with a loving God, when we are on His road to grace, that grace touches our infirmity, His light shines on our darkness and the Bible is clear, 'if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves." The closer we get to the light; the darkness has never been darker.

The truth remains that there is not one of us who doesn't have something we need to deal with, whether it be an attitude, a mindset, a complaining, cursing tongue, it could be an addiction, an affair, maybe we are indifferent, or complacent, Christ himself said He would rather us be hot or cold but not LUKEWARM.
Maybe it's not just us but a family member or friend; I know personally all the emotions that come and have to be sifted through just to keep bitterness from springing up and then defiling many.

One of the things that God desires of us is that; we be REAL, we serve a REAL GOD, His Word is REAL, and the whole basis for what we believe rests in HIS TRUTH.

Honest Recovery will come when we are honest with our trouble.

The closer we get to the Lord, the more we see our shortcomings, BUT God only reveals those places so that HE can HEAL them, so we don't walk about this life tied up in chains with a yoke around our neck.

Christ is a Liberator! He came to set the captive free, but Satan came to take the free captive!

The Bible says that the righteous man will have MANY troubles, BUT the LORD will deliver him out of all of them.

Trouble will come, no one wants it or likes it but the Word of God tells us it will come. Do you have trouble? Well you're in good company just ask Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Elijah, King David, Rahab, Ruth and Nehemiah, don't forget to talk to John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and Christ himself.

Beautiful One, the Bible tells us to confess our faults one to another so that we may be healed. Why? Sin wounds, it cuts us deep, whether it is our sin or someone else's upon us, sin hurts us and God tells us that we need to call it what it is, confess, forgive and forsake it, so that we may be healed and be able to move on.

We cannot change what we are unwilling to confront.

My friend no matter what your trouble is whether it's inside of you or coming from an outsider, know that you are not alone, we all struggle and squirm, we all have to get on our knees and cry out, we all have to plead the blood over our lives because -WE All Fall Short!

There are no perfect families, marriages, children, jobs or churches. We are all a bunch of misfits coming together working out our own salvation and then connecting to others where we are at.

Our hope does not rest in the arm of the flesh, No, our Hope rest securely in the GOD who promises to complete what He started in each of us. Be Still and Know that HE is GOD because it is not by our might, nor by our power but BY HIS SPIRIT He will deliver us from all our troubles.

Beautiful One, Just Believe and Keep It Real

Shannon Heiden
[email protected]
changingonelifereachingmany.typepad.com

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