Posts Tagged ‘recovery’
Why The Ambulance Driver Wears A Bullet Proof Vest
“Help, I Need Medic!”
The wounded soldier’s weak cries for help were barely heard above the sounds of automatic gunfire. Yet, the Medic without much fear for his own safety bravely ran toward the wound soldier and knelt to help him. That’s when he too was shot by sniper fire.
- Yes, he knew the Geneva Convention said that it was wrong and illegal.
- Yes, he knew that the unwritten law of ethics between most nations forbade soldiers from knowingly firing upon a medic treating a wounded comrade.
- He hadn’t tried to convert to his patient’s religion.
- But he had still been shot anyway while he was trying to save a life.
An Ambulance Driver Puts On A Bulletproof Vest.
He asked himself, “What kind of person would say, I am willing to try to help any one even if it means getting shot?” Then dons his bulletproof vest and climbs into the vehicle.
Just because he walked into the room of a sick or injured person did not mean he wanted to join their political party, believe their ideas about the Bible, or agree with anything they think or do.
Just because he bound up a bullet hole in the victim’s chest and attempted to save a life doesn’t mean he wants to be a member of their gender or ethnicity. He was only there to keep them breathing. But that doesn’t stop the bullets from flying at him from gang members or killers.
- He’s unarmed.
- He is not hostile, nor a fighter. He’s in the lifesaving business.
- He knows it’s a crime to shoot him, but he gets shot at anyway.
Most large metro areas, and some not so large, hear shocking reports of an ambulance being fired upon. Why?
- The shooters want the victim to die?
- They enjoy killing a uniform?
I don’t have any answers. But I can remember when no ambulance driver or attendant felt the need to wear a bulletproof vest. Our society is truly sick when we kill those trying to help others. Is this a blood thirsty generation? You be the judge.
Today, Carrying A Bible To Help A Brother Who Thinks Different, May Get Someone Shot Too.
No, he doesn’t agree with the man that he is trying to reason with and restore. He’s there to influence for righteousness sake. Yet, sniper fire is meant to kill the do-gooder.
- He went remembering, “If a brother be overtaken in a fault…” but that didn’t stop the bullets.
- He went remember Priscilla and Aquila’s success in reasoning with Apollos, but it wasn’t the same for him.
- He didn’t have any success with his influence and got shot by snipers in the process.
Whether the story is about the battlefield of war, the sick and dying in our metro areas, or a brother in Christ going astray, the end result is apparently the same. The one trying to help is treated as the enemy.
We are all grateful that in the story of the Good Samaritan, all were safe and the restoration a success. The Samaritan wasn’t beaten for his involvement, but rather honored. Evidently, that was back then, this is now.
God Gave Us The Ministry Of Reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
It is still the will of God for His children to help each other!
Now, For The Bottom Line:
What If I Get Shot At From Both Sides?
- Don’t shoot back
- Help try to help anyway.
- Some may refuse to be helped.
- If the one you try to help rejects your efforts, remember:
Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
What About The Snipers?
- They are not your problem.
- They’re God’s problem
- “His bookkeepers don’t make any mistakes!” – Carl Ballestero
Finding God In Your Failures
Finding God In Your Failures
- 24:16 for a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:
- Life is not over after the falling down; life is all about the getting back up.
- We all need help, just need it in different areas.
- We all can come from a setback to a comeback.
- There is life after “death.”
My Failure Shows Me…
- My failure shows me that no one is exempt, not even me.
- My failure warns me there are things I need to immediately change in my life.
- My failure reminds me that my flesh is my biggest enemy.
- My failure can help me see what I need to fix to find God’s favor again.
- My failure is not my final chapter.
Why Do People Fail? (Sometimes It’s A Combination Of Things.)
- A limited obedience of God’s word?
- A carless attitude toward temptation?
A pursuit of personal fleshly gratification?- A failure to put God first?
- Blatant disobedience?
The Phases Of Failure
- The Reaction Phase
- Shock – I can’t believe I did it.
- Denial – Won’t admit full guilt. Blames others.
- Blame Others – Like Adam blamed Eve.
- Withdrawal – Hide in the bushes of shame, like Adam and Eve.
- Fear – Of more failure
- Anger – Mad at self, mad at own weaknesses.
- Shame – Can’t face anyone.
- Depression – I’m hopeless, I’ll never amount to anything.
- Despair – I guess I’ll just give up. No use. It’s over!
- The Response Phase
- Flight Response – Leave church, move away. (Quit church)
- Faith Response – Have a desire and determination to be restored.
Repentance – Restoration
- God will give you a space to repent
- God will give you an opportunity to repent (Spirit drawn)
- If God has given up on you – He wouldn’t be reaching for you with a message even right now.
Don’t Give Up On Yourself!
Luke Chapter 15
- The Good Shepherd – Type of Christ. He never gave up. He sought until He found the one lost sheep.
- Lost Coin – Type of the Church – never gave up – swept until she found the lost coin.
- Prodigal Son. Never gave up on the Father or himself. Came home.
What God Knows About My Failure
- God knows we’ll all fail.
- He knows we are flesh.
- He is ready to forgive a repentant sinner.
- His blood is ready to cover all of our transgressions.
- The Holy Ghost is prepared to renew and transform us.
- He sees beyond our failure.
Lessons I Should Learn From My Failure
- There are no little sins.
- Prayers of repentance change everything.
- When we fail, God will forgive if we repent.
- If we do sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
- God can bring good out of the bad.
Failure Focus
- Looks at the problem as a hopeless one.
- Looks at the future with great fear.
- Sees the only obstacles.
- Assumes the worst.
- Limits God’s ability to restore them fully.
Faith focus
- Looks for a solution
- Looks past the fear, never loses hope.
- Sees the opportunity to recover and grasps it.
- Assumes the best.
- Believes God will.
Getting Past Your Failures
2 Timothy 2:25 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2 Timothy 2:26 and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
- Really pray through.
- Ask God to help you and deliver you.
- Recognize the desire and spirit that caused your error.
- Admit your sin.
- Humble yourself.
- Clear yourself with others.
- Clear yourself with God.
- Submit yourself to the Word of God.
- Submit to the man of God.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Be faithful.
- Accept God’s forgiveness
- Ask God for guidance.
- Get back up.
Why Does God Go Through The Trouble To Restore You?
- There Is A Reason God Has Dealt This Long With You.
- There Is A Reason – He Has Put Up With Your Failures.
- There Is A Reason – He Sends Conviction And Sermons.
- He’s Not Done With You!
Some Biblical Heroes Weren’t Perfect. We’re Not Either.
(Saying this doesn’t excuse our sin or give us permission to sin.)
- Abraham Lied
- Moses Got Mad
- David Was Immoral
- Peter Denied Jesus
It Was In Failure These People Found God.
- The Woman Taken In Adultery
- Thief On The Cross
- I’m Not Interested In What You Did, But…
- I Am Interested In What You Are Going To Do Now.
- So Get Up, Get Restored And Go On. You Can Do It.
- There Is Hope For You!
Life Is Not Over After The Falling Down; Life Is All About The Getting Back Up.
The Good News About Rubbish
The Good News About Rubbish
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Definition
Rub·bish – ˈrəbiSH/
Vocabulary.com
Noun: rubbish – waste material; refuse or litter. Material that is considered unimportant or valueless.
Adjective: rubbish – very bad; worthless or useless.
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Everyone knows what rubbish is and what it looks like. I am sure that a definition accompanied by a photo is unnecessary.
Who in the world would ever give rubbish a second look? Why would someone waste his or her time trying to find good in what has been demolished?
Besides, rubbish always has an unpleasant odor about it that makes those close feel unclean.
- Men call it rubbish when they have gotten all the valve the can extract from an object.
- They call it rubbish when it has been damaged beyond their comfort zone.
- They call it rubbish when it looks hopeless and spent.
Let Me Tell You An Unknown Bible Story About Rubbish.
Israel had been held in captivity for 70 years. When they returned to their beloved city of Jerusalem, their hearts were crushed with despair. The walls had been broken down and most of the city burned. They had to rebuild the walls immediately. Nehemiah’s burden led the workers. The enemies and critics of Israel watched and spouted their negative opinions.
Neh. 4:2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
The enemy had taken every thing of value. All that was left for Israel to rebuild the glorious walls of Jerusalem were heaps of burnt stones. They dug in the rubbish looking for damaged goods that they could restore.
Even the enemy recognized their dilemma and the futility of the idea. Yet that is exactly what happened in Jerusalem.
Workmen picked up the burnt and tarnished stones out of the rubbish heap, one by one. They no doubt did their best to wipe the stains of the fire and dirt away. Maybe they even washed them, I don’t know. One by one they cleansed each stone and applied new mortar and placed them into the wall.
The Wall Of Jerusalem Was Repaired Using Damaged Goods.
Neh. 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
Neh. 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.
Neh. 12:43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.
A God Moment!
When they finished rebuilding the walls, a God ‘thing’ happened. God made them to get so happy that the noise of their joy was heard a long ways away.
The walls of Jerusalem that still stand today, were rebuilt with damaged goods. Burnt stones from the rubbish heaps now fit perfectly in place in the wall.
When you look at the walls today and take pictures of its grandeur, do you ever stop and think, “That was built with damaged goods”? I didn’t think so.
What then do you think the Body of Christ is made up of? If you’re honest, you will have to say that God knows how to use, where to put, and how to preserve damaged goods.
Does God Ever Use Rubbish? You Better Believe It! Every Day!
Don’t Be Too Quick To Give Up On People.
The Good News About Rubbish Is That God Can Still Use It For His Glory.
King David’s One Line Autobiography
King David’s One Line Autobiography
King David wasn’t young anymore. The gray showed in his hair. Wrinkles on his hands told the truth of his age. His moods had changed; his thinking now wasn’t focused on fulfilling his future dreams.
Now, he spent a lot of his private moments remembering all of his yesterdays. Somehow memories of his life’s failures occasionally crept into the forefront. Some of his sins were even knowledge.
His subjects knew of them, the historians had recorded them, and he even told on himself.
Today, in a moment of transparency uncommon for a king, David turned his thoughts to the times he had failed God, failed his subjects and shamed himself. Bathsheba’s name came to mind, as did her dead husband, Uriah. His encounter with Nabal had raised everyone’s eyebrows. Guilt was not a stranger to his thoughts.
He keenly remembered the preaching of Nathan the Prophet and the three days of God’s judgment and he was grateful for God’s mercy. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but God had been quick to forgive him when he repented.
David picked up a quill and dipped it into the ink and wrote his autobiography in one sentence on the parchment.
Psa. 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Then he thought a moment and added a short postscript…
Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
(How Will Your Autobiography Read?)
The Anatomy Of A Spiritual Shutdown
The Anatomy Of A Spiritual Shutdown
We read about government shutdowns. We all know of businesses that have shutdown. Computer owners know about the shutdown button on their laptop.
Every child of God knows of a church member that appears to have shutdown. They no longer worship or pray as they did before. They’ve become unfaithful. A change has certainly taken place.
As a pastor and an evangelist, it has been my joy over the years to see people miraculously grow and develop in God. It has also been my heartache and frustration to see some self-destruct and lose their joy, their testimony, their good attitude and their hope of being used of God.
Watching the spiritual decline of a child of God is not an easy thing for one to see. Their choices of wrong friends become the first great influencing factor in their decline. The hearts and souls of their family, friends and the ministry, are made to ache.
“You can’t help those who don’t want help,” is a phrase quickly understood by friends, preachers and teachers. Parents are grieved, spouses are influenced, and children are almost always damaged as a result.
What is the cause? What happened to rob this person of their joy? What happened to rob this person of their respect for the things of God? What happened that would cause the flame of their spiritual fervor to go out?
I think the answer is found in the book of Psalms, Chapter One.
Ps 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Please Notice This Persons Progression Toward A Spiritual Shutdown.
- Walking
- Standing
- Sitting
1. Walking
Most would refer to their spiritual life, as their ‘Walk With God.” Too often unassuming and impressionable souls have walked in the Counsel of the Ungodly.
- Who we listen to, always affects what happens to us.
- It’s not long before we become a product of who they are and what they say.
- The counsel of the ungodly will never bring anyone closer to God. Their advice will only bring devastation to spiritual progress.
- If we claim to be spiritually minded, why would we ever seek advice from the Ungodly?
- We must watch whom we walk with and whom we listen to.
2. Standing Still
If we listen to the advice of the Ungodly, then we quickly become the stumbling block that prevents sinners from finding God.
What started out as a Walk, has changed into a Standing still. We become a roadblock of sorts.
The Apostle Paul recognized the powerful influence of the wrong people in our lives. He confronted the issue directly in his letter to the Galatians.
Gal 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Paul made it very clear that it is the Who and not the What that gives us the biggest problems in living for God. People, more than Things bring negative influences into our thinking.
3. Sitting (With A Bad Attitude)
I promise you by all that’s holy, that by allowing our Walk to include the Counsel of the Ungodly, our Walk with God is brought to a standstill. What happens next is so sad. We won’t standstill for very long. We’ll soon find a place to sit down. This is the most grievous of the three positions.
If We Sit in The Seat Of The Scornful, We Will Soon Be:
- Critical Of The Church,
- Critical Of It’s Standards,
- Critical Of It’s Preachers
- Critical Of The Saints.
- Uncooperative,
- Uninvolved,
- Joyless
- A Hindrance To Revival.
- Without The Blessings Of God.
- Backslidden In Heart.
- A Negative Influence On All Those Around Us.
The Change Is Subtle At First, Then Very Obvious At The End.
Remember the young man who helped the Apostle Paul for a while? He is first listed as a Fellow laborer, or some one who worked shoulder to shoulder with Paul. In the next mention, he is referred to as an also ran… ‘and Demas.’ Lastly, Paul announces the absence of Demas. Demas had a spiritual shutdown.
1. Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. (Philemon 1:24)
2. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. (Colossians 4:14)
3. For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. (2 Timothy 4:10)
What Are The Chances Of Recovery From A Shutdown?
(How Many Do We Know That Have Changed From Sullen To Joyful?)
I Truly Pray That All Men And Women Will Be Able To Recover Themselves If They Want To!
Paul told Timothy how to deal with these people in the hope they would recognize and admit their wrong doings, and if they did, maybe, just maybe, God would give them repentance.
2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
God Promises Some Amazing Things Here:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
1. If we will HUMBLE ourselves,
2. PRAY
3. SEEK GOD’S FACE – (Which includes WORSHIP)
4. TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS
THEN…
5. He will HEAR our prayer. (God will take us off ‘hold’ status and listen to us pray.)
6. He will FORGIVE OUR SINS
7. HEAL OUR LAND – (Bless our finances)
If You Have Experienced Spiritual Shutdown…
You Can Find Restoration And Once Again Experience The Joy Of The Lord!
He Fell A Lot, But The Bible Called Him Righteous
He Fell A Lot, But The Bible Called Him Righteous
Can you imagine the Holy Bible calling an apparent failure, a righteous man? That surely is stretching it a bit far.
- Everyone can see the man’s got a problem.
- His behavior was so bad; folks began to count how many times he fell.
- Look at him. He can’t stop apologizing.
- It’s like the guy can’t go a day without falling down.
- Some act like they don’t want to be around him. He’s got problems
- Unbelievable! He’s fell down Seven times, and yet the Bible called him Righteous!
English Standard Version (©2001)
Prov. 24:16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
KJV
Prov. 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
New International Version (©1984)
Prov. 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
There’s Hope! Get Back Up!
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 