The Tug of War in Our Heart

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I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Romans 7:15-20 NIV

Did you ever ask yourself why you do what you do? Why you engage in sin that tugs at your heart? Many of us have been there. We’ve loved sin and hated it at the same time? Maybe you’ve engaged in self-destructive relationship patterns over and over again hoping that this time things will be different? Self-destructive behaviors always bring destructive results. You’re still empty. You’re still broken. You’re still in pain.

Most of the time We’re not consciously aware of why we’re stuck in these spirals. That’s why we need Jesus. That’s why we need safe people to walk with us to the cross, where the power of God can touch our hearts. He alone can bring change. He alone can search our hearts and show us the wounds that drive us to do what we do. No shame. No condemnation. He offers mercy. He offers forgiveness. He offers the kind of safe love that heals the deep wounds in our hearts and changes our lives.

If you’re hurting or stuck in a broken cycle, know that you have Christian brothers and sisters at Reconciliation Ministries who want to help. Now is the time to reach out and accept that help. Join us for our next session of Living Waters, a 20-week discipleship and inner healing program where you can talk with others who understand what it’s like to struggle with sin and brokenness. We know what it’s like to be wounded by those we thought we could trust. Best of all, we also know how to find victory through Jesus. The Living Waters leaders have each walked through their own healing journeys. They understand what it’s like to struggle with addictive sin and the shame and destruction that it brings. Most importantly, they understand the freedom that comes from meeting Jesus at the cross, where He brings healing and transformation.

Call us today and learn more about how Living Waters can help you find victory. Our Living Waters coordinator, Joan, and her team are waiting to talk with you. Call her at 248.956.0265. Call today and begin taking your first steps towards freedom.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:24-25 NIV

Who Cares? God Cares!

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. - James 1:27 NLT

Who cares about a poor widow woman and her kid? God does! Widows and orphans were among the lowest on the cultural ladder in ancient Israel, yet God sent Elijah to a destitute widow woman and her son during a famine [1 Kings 17]. The Lord supernaturally kept them alive by multiplying the oil and flour so that she could continue to make bread and survive. Just lately it hit me. God didn’t send some obscure servant to minister to them. He sent the most important prophet in all of Israel to a widow woman and her son living outside of Israel. God cares about a poor widow and her kid. He loves them very much.

Maybe you aren’t exactly a widow with no income trying to feed a hungry kid during a famine, but maybe you feel just as low on today’s cultural ladder as she did. Who cares about a woman who was sexually abused as a child and just can’t break away from her third abusive boyfriend? Who cares about a man who is covered in shame because he keeps hooking up with other guys through dating apps during the week, but looks holy and squeaky-clean sitting next to his wife in church every Sunday? Who cares about some teen girl who hates her body and is secretly searching the internet trying to figure out how to get testosterone? Sometimes the attitudes of ambivalence and animosity even creep into the church. Who cares about these people? God does! He cares about His people even when they are steeped in sin. He sent the prophet Nathan to lead King David to repentance and restoration. God cares about an adulterer who killed one of His most faithful warriors to cover up his sin. God cares about people who are trapped in sexual sin. He cares about those who were abused. God cares! And so do we at Reconciliation Ministries!

Reconciliation Ministries is here for you. We offer low cost and scholarshipped licensed professional counseling, mental health coaching, inner healing prayer, recovery programs, and more. Contact us today via phone at 586.739.5114, or via email at info@recmin.org. We are here for you.

Don't Surrender Your Armor

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV

During a recent counseling session with a brother in Christ who was struggling with sexual sin, the Lord brought a blunt reality to our hearts. Not only does engaging in sexual sin necessitate him to take off his physical clothes, it also necessitates him to take off the armor of God, the weapons of his warfare that empower him to stand against the devil’s schemes. That brought a stunning realization of our total vulnerability when we make the choice to take off the armor of God and willingly engage in any type of sin. We make the choice to stand defenseless against the enemy of our souls.

The Apostle Paul realized the dilemma that he was in when he wrote, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” [Romans 7:24-25a] Jesus Christ is our only answer. 1 John 1: 9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” There are times when the Lord works directly in our hearts through a one on one encounter in His presence. There are other times when He works through our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ as they “lower us through the roof to the feet of Jesus” [Mark 2.1-5]. There are times when the Holy Spirit calls us to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” [James 5:16] As we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit in one on one encounters with Him, and confess our sins to each other and pray for each other, we become cleansed and freed from our habitual sin. We put on the armor of God and become empowered to stand against the devil’s schemes.