"Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom..."
Psalm 111:10 (NLT)
According to Dictionary.com, wisdom is "the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action, discernment, or insight." So basically, wisdom is the pathway to truth and making right choices based on that truth. Not only is this a necessary element for sobriety but it is also a necessary element for living a life of blessing. The question is, how do I acquire such a God-given gift?
Psalm 111:10 and many other scriptures in the bible (e.g. Job 28:28, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 15:33, Micah 6:9, Acts 9:31) say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, or Yir'ah, as written in the original Hebrew text. When speaking of God, yir'ah means reverence, piety or respect. A San Antonio Pastor once said it clearly, "the fear of the Lord is a reverence for God that produces obedience." Simply said, if I respect the Lord enough to obey His word I will "grow in wisdom."
In my early days of sobriety I just had to keep it simple. Just do the next right thing. This meant discovering ways to follow the Lord's command enough that, because of the promise in Psalm 111:10, I would eventually be catapulted into the most healthy cycle known to man, i.e. I would obey, (as much as I knew how), which would bless me with wisdom, which would bless me with more right choices or obedience, which would in turn, bless me with more wisdom and on and on. I knew that I just had to begin somewhere.
The following paragraphs are simply my own experience. Surely there are many examples, other than the ones listed here, that exemplify how to fear the Lord. These just happen to be the ones that grew me in wisdom.
First, I knew that I could not possibly know what the Lord commanded of me if I did not know what He said. Therefore, first and foremost on my list was to read the living and active word of God! Because it is living and active, I just trusted that reading it would bring me said wisdom. Besides, it says in Deuteronomy 31:12 (NLT) that one learns to fear the Lord by reading His book of instruction. So that's number one!
Secondly, I knew I had to tithe. Somehow I just knew that letting go of money that I didn't have was a true test of faith in God's provision. This notion was confirmed with Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (NLT). It says, "You must set aside a tithe of your crops-one tenth of all the crops you harvest each year...doing this will teach you to fear the Lord your God."
Thirdly, I had to serve the Lord in faithfulness and an undivided heart (2 Chronicles 19:9 NLT). Therefore, I began to be diligent, seeking the help and strength of the Holy Spirit, in doing away with the things that were contrary to the word of God. If that meant not gossiping, worrying, arguing or any other sin, then it was so. Matthew 6:24 clearly states that we cannot serve two masters. It shouldn't be done.
Fourthly, I knew that I had to be an example and teach others about the Word of God and to spread the good news of what God had done for me. 2 Chronicles 17:7-10 shows how the fear of the Lord was a direct result of all the changes Jehoshaphat made including going out among the people and teaching them the law. I am certainly not saying that we should all just start a bible study or our own church and begin teaching the masses. But we have opportunities in everyday life and in our recovery groups to share what God is showing us.
Lastly, although this is not much of an action step but more of an observation step, the miracle of God conquering my addictions and other defects of character is in and of itself enough to produce the fear of the Lord. Joshua 4:21-24 shows how battles won by our God in our own life and the lives of others are parts of the fabric of fearing the Lord our God. Therefore, I am more in tune today with God's work all around me ever reminding me of His greatness, hence producing a deeper reverence for Him.
My prayer is that these things be accomplished through rest in Him. Not through restlessness and struggle because we, out of our own power (PRIDE), are trying to accomplish these things. The worst thing for me is to find myself sinning in one area trying to get rid of sin in another. God's grace is surely enough!!!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
STAND ON THE PROMISE
"Have you completely rejected Judah? Or have you loathed Zion? Why have you stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We waited for peace, but nothing good came; And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!"
Jeremiah 14:19 (NASB)
In recovery things can get pretty dark. And I want to take a moment here to remind everyone that I am not just speaking of recovery from addiction. Life in general is a journey through recovery. As you read this, and any of my blogs for that matter, keep that in mind and replace any references to my personal struggles with your own hang ups. Now that I've cleared that up I will continue. One would think that the moment we quit drinking or using, our life will change completely and all will become dandy! And although this holds true to some extent, simply quitting our drug of choice does not complete recovery. There is a spiritual overhaul that must take place in order to reap the harvest of recovery. And unfortunately this harvest comes through trials and pain.
Self-pity can come over us quite easily. And we end up finding ourselves in a pit of despair because of our suffering. Blaming God for our despair seems easy. After all...we did our part! We quit using and drinking and so now if we are unhappy it must be that God has abandoned us right? WRONG!!!
Just like the Israelites held captive in Babylon, we too must come to a place of recognition that we have fallen away from God. We must come to a place of admittance that without God we have nothing and we are nothing. We must come to a place where we acknowledge that God must come first in our lives and then...put it into practice and literally put Him first! If we cannot acknowledge our powerlessness without God and if we cannot turn our will and our lives over to Him, then we can be sure that this imprisonment will last for an eternity. But God is a gracious God! And, He has promised that He will restore us on the condition of following Him and His ways wholeheartedly. Jeremiah 29:10-14 says, "You will be in Babylon for 70 years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you WILL find me. I will be found by you,' says the Lord. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."
In the midst of all the crud that comes with the recovery process we can find hope that our God has not abandoned us and that He truly knows where we find ourselves and what we need to get where we are going. I choose to stand firm on His promise of deliverance and allow NOT the pit of darkness to drive me back into despair. My hope is in the Lord!
Jeremiah 14:19 (NASB)
In recovery things can get pretty dark. And I want to take a moment here to remind everyone that I am not just speaking of recovery from addiction. Life in general is a journey through recovery. As you read this, and any of my blogs for that matter, keep that in mind and replace any references to my personal struggles with your own hang ups. Now that I've cleared that up I will continue. One would think that the moment we quit drinking or using, our life will change completely and all will become dandy! And although this holds true to some extent, simply quitting our drug of choice does not complete recovery. There is a spiritual overhaul that must take place in order to reap the harvest of recovery. And unfortunately this harvest comes through trials and pain.
Self-pity can come over us quite easily. And we end up finding ourselves in a pit of despair because of our suffering. Blaming God for our despair seems easy. After all...we did our part! We quit using and drinking and so now if we are unhappy it must be that God has abandoned us right? WRONG!!!
Just like the Israelites held captive in Babylon, we too must come to a place of recognition that we have fallen away from God. We must come to a place of admittance that without God we have nothing and we are nothing. We must come to a place where we acknowledge that God must come first in our lives and then...put it into practice and literally put Him first! If we cannot acknowledge our powerlessness without God and if we cannot turn our will and our lives over to Him, then we can be sure that this imprisonment will last for an eternity. But God is a gracious God! And, He has promised that He will restore us on the condition of following Him and His ways wholeheartedly. Jeremiah 29:10-14 says, "You will be in Babylon for 70 years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you WILL find me. I will be found by you,' says the Lord. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."
In the midst of all the crud that comes with the recovery process we can find hope that our God has not abandoned us and that He truly knows where we find ourselves and what we need to get where we are going. I choose to stand firm on His promise of deliverance and allow NOT the pit of darkness to drive me back into despair. My hope is in the Lord!
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