The Halloween Delima

Good Morning!

Halloween participation. I can argue both sides, of the this issue that many Christians face. To participate or not. You can check out many things on the web and many churches have different stands on the subject. The reason I posted the question on our Home Page of the website was to get some different view points from you. However, if you answered through the "click here" to respond - our email is not being received for some reason. We are working on it to try to get it fixed.

I remain in the middle as of today. I have no clear cut answer for myself. I believe we all have freedoms in Christ and that if you are not convicted by dressing your little ones up and going out for candy - then God has not deemed that an issue of you.

I also believe that if you struggle with the issue, then it is better to make an error on the side of "not participating" if that gives you peace with God.

In the past our family has participated and not participated, we have made both decisions. My heart's desire is to not put my personal freedom or non-freedom upon another Christian or non-Christian. Many Christians choose to use this night as an outreach and fellowship building time to interact and see neighbors and people they normally wouldn't meet. I see a heart intent to build relationships when believers do this.

Maybe my struggle is with the fact that I am not a hide in my house, turn the lights off or go somewhere kind of girl - because I don't want to avoid the whole issue. I do not feel if I answer the door and say, "I'm sorry, God won't let me participate in Halloween, but I think it's perfectly fine for you to. " is the answer either. That is not going to bring glory to God or better my relationship with believers or non-believers. It would be rude and come off as judgmental.

Maybe it is one of those issues that God is not ready to give me an answer to, or maybe He has given me the answer and I don't see it, or maybe He is saying it is a freedom - deal with it with me alone. Either way, I just wanted you to know my reasons for asking the question on the Home Page.

Our family has decided since I don't have a peace about participating, the rest of our family is going to support that and not participate this year. I also think I need to pray about this throughout the year instead of avoiding it and then being all stressed and confused the week of.

My heart is to love God and to encourage you. I hope I have not harmed that relationship by bringing up this topic and muddying the waters even more.

In Christ,
Sandra

I had a Naaman moment!

God really spoke to selfish ole me one morning a few weeks ago...

I am Naaman {2 Kings 5} - I have my problem that I want God to take care of - but --- I am looking for it to be fixed in the way I envision it. I thought he would surely .... God used Elisha to give Naaman a simple answer to his large problem and Naaman wanted something with a more personal touch from Elisha - he wanted his personal attention and something grandiose. Elisha gave him a simple solution and it was so simple - Naaman was mad.

These are a few things I know God is telling me to do:

1. I am suppose to WAIT - which based on what I see in front of me - is not going to be easy - not at all !!!
2. I am suppose to WRITE this book and do it faster than I personally desire. I need to be focusing all my time on it. I must work as if I am working for God.
   
3. I must get PHYSICALLY HEALTHY for God to have the strength He desires from me. I will love the Lord my God with all my mind, heart, soul and strength!!!!

God keeps giving me four doors....The doors are Mind, Heart, Soul and Strength - which equal Mental, Spiritual, Emotional and Physical!!!!! WOW! God is good....

Instead of being overwhelmed with my life - I should be thankful that the God of the universe has time for me and has clearly given me a vision for what I need to be doing. I had that brief moment the other night, like Naaman, of being angry and wanting it my way. God did go ahead and heal Naaman anyway - I am hoping He will bless me anyway and help me to move forward in His will.

Keep me in your prayers!
Sandra

Support System

I have prayed and prayed for the addict in my life and at times I have no hope and other days there is hope. There is always hope in God, I have to constantly keep reminding myself of that in this relationship.

The addict in my life has finally surrounded themselves with solid people who are not addicts. Seeing this change has been a blessing to me. This has been one of my long-time prayers for this person. Through doing this, true friends spoke up this time and encouraged the person to do the right thing. Before, the addict was surrounded by addicts and they fed off of one another from the lie that the medication was prescription and must be needed ~ even though a month's worth of pills would be taken in a two week span.

Now, mind you, the addict was in the frame of mind to also do the right thing ~ many years ago this addict had a great family support system and through many years of abuse; boundaries interceded and the consequences became so great that the addict ended up alone. The addict had no desire to do the right thing at that time.

We all need friends and people who genuinely care for us. Our main support system should be through the blood Jesus shed for us, but life is hard and takes over and we get lost and confused. We were created to interact with others - it does matter who you hang around. Everyone influences someone.

Praise God the addict threw away the prescription pills and today admitted that they can not take those prescriptions the way they should be taken. A victory for today!

In Christ Jesus,
Sandra

Providing for Family - GOD's TRUTH

I am in an anxious place this morning. Dealing with a loved one who has an addiction is never easy. I know it is not my responsibility to save this person, but it is my responsibility to provide for this person. According to God's Word. Now, the definition of "provide" is what is unclear for me today. My definition and this person's definition are defined totally different. So, I want God's definition.

I believe we each make decisions every moment of the day. Even in not making a decision we are making a decision. So, instead of calling my friends or even my husband I am going to search God's Word and seek what His TRUTH is about the matter. I believe God is going to define "provide" in this context for me today.

According to 1 Timothy 5:4-8 I do have a responsibility to this family member. It is not my heart intent to embarrass or to bring shame to this person. I don't feel I am suppose to share this person's name - hopefully I can articulate what God wants without revealing who this person is.

Verse 8, says that "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Now, with that said - previously I would have avoided the issues with this person, disconnected myself and shoved it in my mental closet. Not today - in an effort not to deal with this issue I am sharing with you for two reasons. (1) To keep my mental closet clean (by discovering what God wants from me in this situation), and (2) that God could somehow use this blog to encourage you.

So, I am to provide for this person.

Here are a few things that I can not provide:

1. correct decisions
2. strength to overcome the addiction
3. authority in this person's life
4. a healthy mental thought process
5. money or means to support this habit
6. this person with reality

Only Jesus Christ is the Savior, not me. So, the above things are the things I will pray for this person.

Here is what I can provide this person with:

1. Love, a genuine concern and care to not harm or control them
2. Prayers
3. Speak the TRUTH in a loving manner
   
4. Encouragement to admit the addiction and to get professional help
5. BOUNDARIES, to make clear what consequences this addiction will have on our relationship

Now, after all that I am not going to mail this nice, informative letter I had written to this person's doctor to educate the doctor of this person's addiction and abuse of prescription medication. That's how I wanted to deal with it - mail the letter to the doctor and not speak to the addict and then my hands would be washed of it. That way, I could take no responsibility. After all I am not the addict. By sending the letter, I would have done a noble and responsible thing, yet been able to shift blame on the doctor if this person continued to abuse.

Instead, I am going to communicate directly with this person in my life. I am going to let them know how I genuinely love them, that I pray for them. Remind this person how God has a specific plan for their life - they are special. I will encourage professional help and refresh the boundaries, that were clearly established previously with them, of their actions. When the addiction happens the boundaries tighten, I see efforts of trying and seeking help then those boundaries are slightly loosened with the knowledge that they are adjusted based on the addicts abuse.

So, my definition of "provide" for this person seems to be:
To love them, pray for them, encourage professional help, speak only TRUTH and to not totally remove myself from them completely, but to set and keep godly boundaries.

Now, I have to call and write a letter to this person. The phone calls never go well, if they are coherent enough to talk, so I will also write a loving, but truthful letter. I will include the letter I was going to send to their doctor and let God lead from there.

I will know after taking these steps that I have done all that God calls of me, not the addict.

I am not the Savior! Only the Lord Jesus Christ saves!
Thank goodness!
Sandra