No Condemnation

This is not the time for the voice of the enemy to be the loudest in your life.

The Bible says no one in Christ is condemned/penalized.  No one in Christ.

So, since you have accepted and acknowledged Christ as your Savior, you can gently remind yourself that because of your past sins, God does not condemn you. 

You condemn you. You allow the voice of the enemy to speak unforgiveness to your soul.

Period.

See, our standards of being in right relationship with God are not God’s standards.  We tell ourselves that because of the past, we are not worthy to talk to God.  We tell ourselves that we are not allowed to talk to God.  But this is not true.

Once we ask for forgiveness of sins, we are forgiven.

And, we go into God’s presence.

Remind yourself, through God’s Word and your cooperation with God, that you are loved, forgiven and free.

Each time you remember an act that you are not proud of, tell yourself, I forgive you for that.

Then repeat the Word of God to yourself, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 8.1 ESV)

Try this translation if it is better:  The Message says, “With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.”

But, I also like this one:  There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. Romans 8.1 (GNB)

There are people who believe their wrongs and mistakes in the past prevent them from having the right to pray; and doubt God hears their prayers.

Because you are saved, you are not condemned.  You are not banished from the presence of God.  You can boldly (without shame) approach God and know that he hears you.

There is, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus!

Proof – Psalm 32 – The Bible says when our sins are forgiven and covered, we are blessed.  But it implies that by faith we know we are forgiven and therefore, our sins are covered.  Verse 2 says we are blessed because the Lord does not count our sin against us and we are in right relationship with him because there is no deceit in our spirit.

Burdened with the weight of our sin, zapped of energy because of its heaviness, we (v. 5) acknowledge our sin, confess it to God and God forgave the guilt left over from the act of sin. 

Since God has forgiven us, we can pray to God while He may be found.

Empathy

            I can relate to having to take time to understand what this means for my own life personally.  Often, people can tell us what to do but don’t share why they needed to do it or how difficult it was to do.  Trust me, it was challenging.

            It reminds me of the Third Step prayer from 12-step programs which says, Take my will and my life, guide me in my recovery, show me how to live.”  

Prayer:          Lord, I don’t know how to crawl from underneath this weight of guilt, shame and worthlessness.  I need you to help me.  Help me to forgive myself.  Show me I can be free from the bondage of my past.  Others say I can, but I have trouble believing this can happen for me.  Please, guide me into true freedom in you.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Self-care and Suicide Prevention

A few ways we can prevent our own Suicide

We don’t hear enough people talking about their personal, private struggle to manage suicidal thoughts.  But, in light of this being Suicide Prevention Week, it seems appropriate for me to be transparent.  In fact, this self-disclosure may encourage someone else to reach a deeper level of self-acceptance.

Our society embraces the idea of managing loneliness.  On the other hand, in some communities, society tries to save us or deliver us from depression and suicidal thoughts.  My experience reveals learning how to manage the suicidal thoughts that randomly present themselves in my head, has helped me preserve my life and stabilize me within the context of self-care and wellness.

Suicidal thoughts don’t discriminate.  A person’s background or pedigree is of no importance to these thoughts of self-destruction.  My first set of thoughts appeared around the age of 15.  And, being a mental health consumer (i.e. a person who manages and addresses their mental illness), I have learned that honest acceptance of my mental health condition allows me to move towards a solution rather than staying in the problem (i.e. tortured by suicidal thoughts, defeated by depression and/or agitated by anxiety).

Here are a few ways I manage my mental health, which includes those infrequent, unexpected suicidal thoughts:

Honestly admit the thoughts occur. No matter how frequent or rare, if your brain is built like mine, the suicidal thoughts will occur and re-occur whenever they want.  I have learned that I might not be able to control when or why the thoughts that come into my head, but I can certainly control how I respond to them.

Develop and practice open-mindedness.  There are alternative ways to dealing with suicidal thoughts rather than just giving in.  This is what I call “the fight.”  For some people it is a daily struggle to fight the thoughts.  For other people, the thoughts may come in seasons.  Whatever the case, approaching our lot in life with an open mind as it relates to treatment is a good starting place. 

Considering attending therapy, taking medication (traditional or herbal), practicing your spirituality and any other forms of healthy treatment are ways we demonstrate self-love and self-care.  There are alternative solutions to managing suicidal thoughts that do not involve trying to kill oneself by abusing drugs or attempting to end one’s life.

Become Willing.  Being willing to talk to someone is a great idea.  Hopefully, the person chosen is willing to listen and help guide you into a solution that doesn’t involve shaming you for your condition.  Also, having a safe haven for rough days is a good idea.  My safe haven is my bed.  If I get hit with an episode of suicidal thoughts, I encourage myself to get home and get in my bed!  This allows me to hold on until the rough moments pass and I can talk to someone, have a change made to my medication or both. 

I have a few rules I follow so that when the thoughts come, I know they can’t succeed.  I cry, tell them to shut up, talk to my therapist, lay in bed and watch movies, listen to sermons, the list goes on.  There are alternative ways to deal with the problem.

5.     

            Pray.  People often fail, but God never does.  Saying, “God help me” is the simplest prayer I know.  And, as my thoughts to self-harm dissipate, I am grateful for the moment’s reprieve.

           Enter into a covenant/contract with yourself.  Biblically, covenants are initiated by God and God alone.  So, I have a contract, an agreement, if you will, with myself.  I will not try to kill myself.  (I personally think it is a waste of time to try but that is another topic.)  Past attempts have been unsuccessful, I always felt worse after I failed and I must be here for a reason, so why not just hold on and see what the end results will be?  I realize this isn’t logical thinking for some people, but it is the way I manage my depression and suicidal thoughts instead of allowing them to manage me.

Gratitude list.  I am not a fan of gratitude lists because my mind enjoys thinking “poor me” thoughts.  But, my recovery is my responsibility.  So, the way I recover from depression and suicidal thoughts is I find something, anything, for which to be grateful.  Some of my simplest gratitude lists are the funniest ones, but they keep me from harming myself in that moment.  And, I believe, that makes God proud.

Being suicidal is embarrassing to admit.  The shame about having suicidal thoughts succeeds when we choose to suffer in silence.  Acting out on these thoughts is always depressing and demeaning.  The truth is, the thoughts will pass and eventually go away.  Bad days are bad days and their alternative, good days, come and go too. 

So, my suggestion is this:  “Let’s hold on to life and see what else it has to bring.  After all, it can’t be worse than managing suicidal thoughts.”  J

Be blessed,

M

Recovery Day of Prayer

Guidepost Magazine has chosen to focus today’s communication with God in lifting up prayers for those who struggle with addictions and manage their recovery.  The Addiction and Recovery Day of Prayer event utilizes Psalm 147:3 as its scriptural context.

            As I studied this Word, I was delighted to hear my spirit singing praises unto God for His goodness.  The psalmist wrote this kind of praise is beautiful and fitting.  And, since I am a person in recovery, praising God is very fitting and appropriate for deliverance from the bondage of addiction.  In fact, even in maintaining my deliverance by strategically remaining in the recovery process is worth praising God too! 

            It is excellent and appropriate to praise God when those who have been afflicted (broken hearted) are healed.  The inner heart does experience brokenness that is so deep and hurtful that some people turn to self-destructive addictions to cope with the pain, the trauma and their reality.  Oh, how deep pain can run.

            So we pray that the God who rebuilds, gathers and heals will restore and recover those who are broken.  We humbly ask God to heal the wounds of the afflicted by placing bandages and salve on their private, damage innermost places. 

Oh, God, only you know their unique pain.  You hear the specific sounds and words trapped in the tears and angry words of each star you have created. 

Please, as we lift up each star by name today, heal their secret and public wounds.  Help them gather together the disconnected pieces of their soul.  Guide them into safe places where they will find strong systems of support for their recovery.

            You, you alone have the unlimited strength to perform such great and marvelous acts.  In fact, your greatness is so incomprehensible to us that when we get to see fallen stars on their feet again, we are utterly amazed.

            Nevertheless, we will sing praises before, during and after we watch you miraculously deliver our loved ones from addiction.  We know we can depend on your supernatural strength to reclaim those that are lost and make firm their footsteps.

            In Jesus’ name we pray…Amen!