Our Refuge and Strength

[southernbelle47]

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The cross I wear around my neck is not there for show, nor is it the object of my worship. I would not be lost without it, though I do like it. I do not believe it has some mystical power, nor does it protect me. The cross that I wear reminds me of the great love that God has for me. Christ's gift of eternal life is made real to me each time I look down at the cross or feel it lightly resting on my chest. In difficult times, I look at the cross and feel warmth and comfort. From its gentle reminder I draw strength when I am weary, refuge when I need to rest. Whether I wear my cross or not, God is with me, but sometimes it is nice to have a small reminder.

Prayer:

I run to You when I need rest, Lord. You take me in Your arms and protect me from the pressures of the day. In every time of trial, You are the source of my help. Thank You. Amen.
Nancy...
PS....The Marines are stateside!!! Thank you Jesus!

[Thankful]

Nancy, I always like your posts. I have certain feelings about the crucifix, but I liked what you had to say about it.

Does that last line mean that your son is home???? I certainly hope so.

Love, Me

[TraceyO]

Hi southernbelle47. A scripture verse that is giving me much comfort is Genesis 2:9, 16-17 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life aslo in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil...And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowlwdge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
What this verse says to me personally, is that alcohol, a fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brings me death.and with it..everything that kills my spirit...shame depression helplesness. Yet as I make the wise choice, by God's grace to walk away from that tree ,I gain life. The powerful reframe for me is that God himself is the tree of life and is in the same garden as the tree that tempts me. Yet He is there drawing me to taste and see that the Lord is good.Psalm 34:8 Likewise Psalm 139 :7-8 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or wither shall I flee from thy presence? If I asend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. ( the hell of alcohl addiction) As I gain strength from Him, I will become satisfied with His renewed presence in my life and my eyes will be opened to all the other wonderful things in life that He has created for me to enjoy.This is such a positive reframe for me.
Hope this message brings strength and encouragement to others on this site who may have had doubts (like I have had) that God has been with my throughout all my strugles with alcohol addiction and that He is there to help me ( and others) find your way out .TraceyO

[TraceyO]

Hi southernbelle47. Did you get my post on Genesis? I joined 3 weeks ago and have been very discouraged adout the lack of responses to my posts...maybe they haven't gotten through. Or maybe I'm just not likeable which would be a new thing for me.. In any case I've never been soo discouraged in my life. I've reached out for help which took all the strength I could muster..with only 1 response out of 20+ posts. Maybe i'm doing something wrong... Please help . xoxoFellow believer TraceyO

[southernbelle47]

Hey Tracy
I did read your post and did a very long answer that "went away" somewhere.
Please be patient with us. We ARE here and reading.
There seems to be some problems with the site right now also.
I have some things to talk with you about.....I'lll be back shortly.
Love
Nancy
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

[southernbelle47]

Tracy
Just "lost" another longgg post.
I think satan does not want us to talk! ;o)

I'll keep trying though. Please pm me
Nancy

[southernbelle47]

by Neil Anderson

April 24

SATAN'S THREEFOLD TEMPTATION

1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world

You will be better prepared to resist temptation in your life when you realize that, according to the Scriptures, there are only three channels through which Satan will entice you to act independently of God. They are summarized in John's instructions to believers concerning our relationship to this world: "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
The three channels of temptation are the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eyes , and the pride of life . The lust of the flesh preys on our physical appetites and their gratifications in this world. The lust of the eyes appeals to self-interest and tests the Word of God. The pride of life stresses self-promotion and self-exaltation. Satan confronted both the first Adam and the last Adam through each of these three channels of temptation.
Notice how Satan used precisely those three channels to deceive Eve: "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was a delight to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and that the tree was desirable to make one wise [pride of life], she took from its fruit and ate" (Genesis 3:6). The first Adam failed miserably and we still suffer the results of his failure. But the last Adam--Jesus Christ--met Satan's threefold temptation head-on and succeeded triumphantly. In Him we have the resources and the power to conquer every temptation Satan throws at us.

Prayer:

Dear God, please tear down any pride or self-deception I may have concerning Satan's strategies of temptation. I know I can never become complacent about spiritual warfare.

[southernbelle47]

by Neil Anderson

April 25

THE LUST OF THE FLESH

1 John 2:16
The lust of the flesh . . . is not from the Father, but is from the world

Satan first approached Eve through the channel of the lust of the flesh. He planted a doubt in her mind about the fruit of the tree when he said: "Has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1). Eve answered, "God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it'" (verse 3). But Satan had piqued her appetite for the forbidden fruit, and she "saw that the tree was good for food" (verse 6). Yielding to the lust of the flesh contributed to Adam and Eve's downfall.
Satan also challenged Jesus through the channel of the lust of the flesh. Our lord had been fasting for 40 days when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness at the point of His apparent vulnerability: "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3). Satan is not omniscient, but he's not blind either. He learned about Jesus' apparent vulnerability to physical temptation by watching Him go without food for 40 days. He's watching you too, looking for soft spots of vulnerability in your appetites for food, rest, comfort and sex. Temptation is greatest when hunger, fatigue and loneliness are acute.
The temptation of the lust of the flesh is designed to draw us away from the will of God to serve the flesh (Galatians 5:16, 17). When Satan tempts you through the channel of the lust of the flesh, he will invite you to fulfill your needs in ways that are outside the boundary of God's will. Whenever you feel enticed to meet a legitimate need by acting independently of God, you are being tempted through the lust of the flesh. When you resist the temptations of the lust of the flesh, you are declaring your dependence on God for your needs. As such you are remaining "in the vine," tapping into the resources Jesus referred to in John 15:5. But when you yield to temptation in this area, your fruitfulness as a Christian will suffer because apart from Christ you can do nothing.

Prayer:

You are a strong, fruit vine, Lord, and I will not wither as long as I remain in You. Strengthen me today to resist the temptation to meet my needs apart from You.

You all
Nancy

[TraceyO]

Hi Nancy. How do I pp post you? I'm computer illiterate

[TraceyO]

Hi Nancy!! If the enemy is giving resistance, then i feel even more excited in my spirit for us to connect!!! I'd pm post you if I knew how.. Traceyo ! Ps thanks soo much for the encouragement!! xoxox