Clean but empty!

Let Jesus fill your mug with a joy that will never run out. 

Matthew chapter 12 verses 43-45.

This evil nation is like a man possessed by a demon. For if the demon leaves, it goes into the deserts for a while, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, "I will return to the man I came from." So it returns and finds the man's heart clean but empty! Then the demon finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and all enter the man and live in him. And so he is worse off than before. 

I remember the struggle I went through to free myself from alcohol and drugs. It was terrible. 30 years of abuse had been done, so the healing process was going to take a while. I thank God for being there with me. Those were the really early days of my journey with God. 

   It was not a quick process for I was pretty stubborn. I really liked getting high but the older I got the worse my health was getting. The nightmares and cold sweats drained the crap from my system but the craving had to be overcome. That is where Jesus stepped in and walked with me. Being free was way better than the fogged life I was living before. 

   I had been given a new opportunity to start over when the company I worked for offered me a job miles away from where I was living. I never thought that I would ever have a house of my own to live in but circumstances found me purchasing a home in the country. I was excited and invited my friends to come visit. They came and we partied it up, with bon-fire and hangovers. I even met people at the local bar and invited them back, total strangers, who I knew nothing about. I felt a little uncomfortable and relieved when they left. 

   In my sober time I was thankful for my new home, but to whom was I thankful? I did not like continuing my old habits, when I was being offered a new chance. I thought of God and what could it hurt to get to know Him, maybe it was Him who gave me this chance. At first I read the bible but did not change my ways. Then 4 years later, free from addictions, I decided to go to church and give the thanks back to God, I felt I was on top of the world.

   My heart was clean, I was thankful to God, my income was getting better, I got a new car and people seem to interact with me more often. My opinion counted and I was happy. Then something happened and I knew I was following the wrong paths but the temptation was strong. For 2 years my life fell apart and what a mess it became. 

   I never did give up on God though. I read the bible faithfully, but followed my own ideas. I was silly and selfish. I faced my mistakes and worked hard at healing myself all the time holding onto the word of God. The turning point for me came when I saw that all good things are from God and He is the one who deserves all my praise and worship. 

   I was cleaned, but with my own pride, I was empty of thanking the one who counted, so temptation got the best of me and tried to take hold. Jesus delivered me by showing me that all of everything is about God. There is nothing else, no accomplishment is of your own will. All is a gift from God.

   Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 say, "It is by grace that we are saved through faith, not that of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest we boast." Mistakes get made, sadness can take a grip. We all have dreams of what we would like our lives to look like. To some it may come easy and to others it is a struggle. 

   No matter who we are or what we are going through, Jesus is there. Talk to Him. Choosing the right path means taking a different road than the one you have been used to. The road Jesus walks on is straight and well lit. He does not leave you wondering what is up ahead, He tells it like it is. The difference is you will be choosing to walk with Jesus. The people you know may not understand and they may even try to talk you out of it. 

   Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 says; "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Trust is a scary word but once you believe in it, you will give all of who you are over to it. Everyone of us are cautious, trying our best to live peacefully without getting caught up in circumstances. 

   Addictions are something that have taken hold of us by means of us letting it happen. The people we know and the way we live are products of the paths we choose. Maybe you don't like hangovers, arguments and mistrust. Maybe you want answers, maybe your stubborn and try to find it hard to be one of those who believe in God. 

   When you come to Jesus, broken and weary, He is there to listen and give to you all that God is. From that moment on you are forever forgiven and the happiness of God enters into your life. 

   Thank You Father for Jesus. Thank You that even when we make the most horrible of mistakes, You are there! You have not moved or abandoned us. You are our refuge, our strength. 😊

 

Matthew chapter 11 verses 27-30.

Jesus told them, "Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father. Only the Father knows the Son, and the Father is known only by the Son and by those to whom the Son reveals Him. Come to Me and I will give you rest---all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear My yoke---for it fits perfectly---and let Me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens."

John chapter 14 verse 11.

Jesus said to them, "Just believe it---that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or else believe it because of the mighty miracles you have seen Me do."

2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 9 and 10.

It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserve it but because that was His plan long before the world began---to show His love and kindness to us through Christ. And now He has made all of this plain to us by the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death and showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting Him.