Thank God I Can't Do It

Every New Year’s Day, for the past 14 years, I have woken up, sober, early, to catch the sun come up and thank God for something He did in my life that I couldn’t do myself: quit drinking.

I have not had a drop in 14 years. And the freedom is delicious.

We’ve all heard about, and I have been blessed to personally live, the victory in Jesus over addiction. Some ask, as I have, why some folks tend to find this victory and others do not? This is a mystery. I posit that for some, their “bottom” is just much lower than others. For some, even losing their jobs and families doesn’t seem to have any impact, or they turn into victims rather than contrite accepters of their own role in their sorry state.

Whatever the addiction, the answer is the same. Whatever the upbringing, the answer to finally growing up is the same. Whatever the school of hard knocks we’ve attended, the answer is the same. And that answer is this: we must agree with God regarding the sin He points out to us. And we must have a relationship with Christ and we must cooperate with His Word and Holy Spirit regarding our emotional, physical, mental and spiritual maturity. We cannot agree with God on anything if we don’t know what He is expecting of us, and why He’s expecting it. We can’t get right with ourself or others without first getting right with God.

Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:9, quotes the Lord’s words to him when he writes, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Do we believe that?

First, do we believe with our hearts, minds, body and soul that we are weak? I couldn’t stop drinking when I believed I was strong enough to do it myself. Only through trying to quit in my own enlightened power and failing did God show me my weakness, and thus I was made strong in Him.

Paul goes on to write, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Now, this is not the kind of navel gazing “boasting” I wrote about in an earlier blog post, where we sit around in share groups and lament our ongoing sin over and over again. No. This boasting is the floodlight that illuminates our weakness to do anything good without God. We can be self-righteous and continue to fail, or we can receive the righteousness of God in us through the work of Christ and His Holy Spirit, which He gives. This Holy Spirit is the quiet voice we sometimes despise to hear, but in the end love to hear because it guides us every time. It does not scream as loudly as the beer, or the cocaine, or the online shopping site. The Holy Spirit is a guide, and a guide does not strong arm. This is a mystery.

It takes complete agreement: heart, soul, body and mind to obey the Holy Spirit’s direction from God to stop sinning. To stop drinking, we must agree 100% with God that drinking for us is a sin. Note how I said “for us.” Many people continue in their sin because it is not a sin for everyone. So therefore, they conclude, it is not a sin for them. But the Holy Spirit will be the judge of that. And we all know. Deep inside, we all know that when Grandma Ruth drinks a sip, she isn’t sinning because she will stop at one drink. But is drinking a sin for me?

We all know that when our best friend goes shopping, she isn’t sinning; she hates shopping and will buy what she needs and leave the store and not go in again until she absolutely has to. Shopping has no hold on her. But is shopping a sin for me?

We all know that when a relative comes to us with a personal problem, they are not in sin with gossip, because this person always speaks with integrity. On this day, they need someone to talk to, and we can trust that our conversation will be held in the strictest confidentiality. For the person who struggles with the sin of gossip, everything and everyone in their life is fodder for endless rumination and drama. They wouldn’t know confidentiality if it bit them on the nose. Is gossip a sin for me?

We aren’t to look at what is a sin, or not, for others, and live our lives on that basis. If addiction is cutting off our circulation to a vibrant life, we might want to ask ourselves, “What is a sin for me?” And then agree with God that indeed, He is right. It is a sin for me. That is the turning of the page into freedom from addiction: full agreement with God is always where we must begin.

Christ’s power rests on us when we admit our weakness simply because then we also admit His power. We allow His power to take the place of the false power of thinking “I can do anything.” When we understand and agree that we have no power (which should be pretty easy, actually, when we see that our years of trying to quit drinking has gotten us no where), it is then we can turn to Christ to fill the void left by the deception that we had any power to begin with. Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness when we admit the weakness is there! And that He is the power, not us.

Many Christians are waiting for God to strong arm them and take away their addictions like a mother grabs a sharp stick out of a child’s hand. And yet, they are waiting double-mindedly, not in complete agreement that they want this sin gone. If even 1% of me is not in agreement with God about my sin, I believe I am still in agreement with myself about that sin and it will not go away because I'm not letting it.

Only when I agreed with God 100%: heart, mind, body and soul, that drinking for me was a sin, did God change my heart and remove the desire for alcohol. And He has done it with numerous other sins in my life, and continues to do so.

As long as we are holding onto some aspect of our sin, then known sin will remain and be victorious over us. We are in cahoots with the flesh and the devil, not God.

But when we see our weakness as the way to Christ working in our lives to remove sin, in complete agreement with Christ’s estimation of our sin, we will, like Paul, boast in this weakness because it is the way to Christ’s lasting victory over sin in us.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthian 17-18

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Thankful for the Old Year, Grateful for the New

"Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29:13

Simply, Lowly and Quietly Joyful

We crave the emotionalism of Christmas like a drug. And when it doesn’t come, we buy more, drink more, bake more and eat more, in hopes that sooner or later, if we do all the traditional things, the emotions will genuinely come. But often, the older we get, they never do.

This is my first Christmas where there was altogether no snow, no home-baked goods except for the cupcakes brought over by my neighbor, no focus on presents, and no children (both our kids are far away in two different states). And God in His mercy made it an exceedingly contented Christmas.

I love my kids and being with them at Christmas. I delight in traditional Christmas cookies. And I adore a white Christmas. But this year, knowing I would have none of that, I prayed a simple prayer to God to keep me strong. He not only kept me strong, he cleansed me of the need to have the usual accouterments of Christmas, and gave me His peace (which indeed does truly go beyond comprehending). 

The only thing I can compare it to is the residents of Whoville as they gathered together that Grinch-ransacked Christmas morning: For them, Christmas “came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.” My Christmas even came without “rare Who-roast beast” (my husband and I grabbed a late dinner of Chow Mein at a small Chinese take out place after driving back from an impromptu snack gathering with extended family on Christmas day).

What freedom to finally be able to sit with God each day of December and just be still in Him! I thank God that no depression or funk befell. I thank God especially for the young couple, friends of ours that we met in seminary, who visited us in our home the weekend before Christmas. I thank God that my husband and I had a quiet, lovely time on Christmas Eve that harkened back to when it was just the two of us. I thank the Lord for His coming into the world and into my husband and mine’s marriage. I thank God for the life that each of my children is living that, although it keeps them away, fulfills them.

Yes, Christmas came without the usual brouhaha, but also without the usual dependence on it. Perhaps that is why it also came without the attendant post-Christmas let down. That is something I didn’t think I would ever experience. Christmas came pretty much as it did in that manger long ago: simply, lowly and quietly joyful. It came, fully embracing the gift and tender blessings of God.

I pray that the peace and contentment God turned Christmas into this year will be the case every year: whether it arrives with all the trimmings or not; whether surrounded by loved ones or not.

I perceive this is what wise, aged believers experience, and not just at Christmas. It is what they have come to know of God and the birth of His Son into their lives.

copyright Barb Harwood

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

Why Jesus Came to Us

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever Amen." 1 Timothy 1:15-17

A Charlie Brown Christmas (The Meaning of Christmas)

Living What We Already Know

I’m reading the book, Loving Well by William P. Smith, in which the author talks about how, even after having already written a booklet entitled, How Do I Stop Losing It with My Kids?, he indeed continued to “lose it” with his kids. This was balm to my sorrowful heart that regrets the fact that I could spend an hour or more in devotions, Bible reading and prayer with God and then five minutes later engage in a tantrum with my kids or become impatient with them.

Peter Furler, when he was lead singer of the Newsboys, sang,  “I dunno how I can end a prayer, then turn on a friend.”

As comforting as it is to hear other people confess and write about how they, too, forget Scripture’s precepts the minute life or people make demands, we can’t stop there (as I wrote in a recent blog post, we are not to wallow in our sin, but to be those who overcome sin). We have to go further. And the only way to exit the roundabout of “read Scripture, pray, then yell-at-the-kids, curse the boss, take everything personal, etc. etc.” is to stop it. We have to start living what we already know.

I live across the street from a workout facility and I am amazed at how, already at 4:30 am, a few cars trickle into the parking lot. These early birds are the folks who don’t just read exercise and fitness books, buy Adidas and talk about ten-minute abs, they follow through and actually exercise! They put on the Adidas, prioritize getting themselves to the fitness center and do the ten-minute ab routine.

The funny thing is, I know Christians who have no problem running marathons or 10K’s or attending Spinning classes religiously yet struggle to follow through on their heart and mind exercises of doing what Scripture says! I used to be one of them. Sixty miles on a bike? Piece of cake! Running outdoors in January? No problem! Holding my tongue? Fail. Thinking more highly of others than myself? Flunk.

The point is, we know how to follow through in other parts of our lives. So why not with Scripture? If follow-through in other parts of our lives is taking time and effort away from prioritizing the Biblical growth of our hearts and minds, then perhaps we need to lower the priorities in other areas and put the intentional practice of Christ’s commands first.

© Barb Harwood

“because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.” 1 Thessalonians 1:5a

“encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 1:12

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:19-25

How to Stay Married 70 Years (or more)

What a joy to read the following article on a couple who raised 5 children and have been married 70 years: 

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/dec/14/doug-clark-acceptance-key-to-couples-70-year/




"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13