Category Archives: C.R.

Sovereign Intervention

Sovereign Intervention in Our Lives

God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. Exodus 2:25. 

Barbara grew up under the care of the British government in the 1960s, but when she turned sixteen, she and her newborn son, Simon, became homeless. The state was no longer obligated to provide for her at that age. Barbara wrote to the Queen of England for help and received a response! The Queen compassionately arranged for Barbara to be given a house of her own.

The Queen of England had the right resources to help Barbara, and her compassionate assistance can be seen as a small picture of God’s help. The King of heaven knows all of our needs and sovereignly works out His plans in our lives. As He does, however, He longs for us to come to Him, sharing our needs and other concerns, as part of our loving relationship with Him.

The Israelites brought their need for deliverance to God. They were suffering under the burden of Egyptian slavery and cried out for help. He heard them and remembered His promise: “God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” Exodus 2:25. He instructed Moses to bring liberty to His people and declared that He would once again release them “into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:8. 

Our King loves it when we come to Him! He wisely provides what we need, not necessarily what we want. Let us rest in His sovereign, loving provision. – Ruth O’Reilly-Smith. Daily Bread. 

Discussion: 

Why is it important for us to bring our needs to God in prayer? 

Focus 

Connect with God 

How can you learn to rest in God’s provision, whatever that may be?

Acceptance 

Peace 

Serenity 

Serenity Prayer 

Serenity Prayer
Serenity Prayer

Reinhold Niebuhr (1934). 

God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. 

Sovereign  Burning Lights 

Chris Tomlin (2013). 

Sovereign

Closing Prayer: 

Loving God, thank You that I can bring my needs to You. Help me to be content in whatever paths and provisions You choose. Amen. 

May Your Spiritual Connectivity with Our Sovereign Lord Bring You Serenity and Acceptance.
Peace and Joy! Pastors Michael and Cathy Hanus

Belonging

Belonging 

The Lord who made you and helps you says: “Do not be afraid, my chosen one.” Isaiah 44:2. 

Isaiah 44:1–5; Esther 9–10; Acts 7:1–21

I had been out late the night before, just as I was every Saturday night. Just twenty years old, I was running from God as fast as I could. But suddenly, strangely, I felt compelled to attend the church my dad pastored. I put on my faded jeans, well-worn T-shirt, and unlaced high-tops and drove across town.

I do not recall the sermon Dad preached that day, but I can not forget how delighted he was to see me. With his arm over my shoulder, he introduced me to everyone he saw. “This is my son!” he proudly declared. His joy became a picture of God’s love that has stuck with me all these decades.

You Belong Here
You Belong Here

The imagery of God as loving Father occurs throughout the Bible. In Isaiah 44, the prophet interrupts a series of warnings to proclaim God’s message of family love. “Dear Israel, my chosen one,” he said. “I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children” (vv. 2–3 nlt). Isaiah noted how the response of those descendants would demonstrate family pride. “Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord,’” he wrote. “Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands” (v. 5 nlt).

Wayward Israel belonged to God, just as I belonged to my adoptive father. Nothing I could do would ever make him lose his love for me. He gave me a glimpse of our heavenly Father’s love for us. – Tim Gustafson. Daily Bread. 

Heavenly Father, we all come from families that are broken in one way or another. Thank You for loving us in that brokenness and for showing us what real love looks like.

God’s love for us offers us the sense of belonging and identity we all crave.

We Belong 

David Lowen 

Pat Benatar 

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder 

We belong to the sound of the words we’ve both fallen under 

Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better 

We belong, we belong, we belong together…

Seven Reasons We Get Stuck

Seven Reasons We Get Stuck

Celebrate Recovery
Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery Lesson 25

1. We have not completely worked the previous principle.

– Perhaps we are trying to move through the principles too quickly. Slow down! Give God time to work! Remember, this program is a process.

– “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25.

2. We have not completely surrendered our life and our will to the Lord.

– Perhaps we are trusting Jesus with the “big” things, but we still think we can handle the “small” things.

– “For good judgment and common sense, trust in the Lord completely; don’t ever trust in yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”  Proverbs 3:5-6.

3. We have not accepted Jesus’ work on the cross for our forgiveness.

– We may have forgiven others, but we think our sin is too big to be forgiven.

– “But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us … from every wrong.” 1 John 1:9.

– “So overflowing is his kindness towards us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved.” Ephesians 1:7.

– Have you forgiven yourself?

– Remember, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1.

4. We really have not forgiven others who have harmed us.

– We must “let go of the pain of past harm and abuse. Until we are able to release it, forgive it, it will continue to hold us as its prisoner.

– “After you have suffered a little while, our God, who is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory. He personally will pick you up, and set firmly in place and make you stronger than ever.” 1 Peter 5:10-11.

5. We are afraid of the risk in making the necessary change.

– We may be paralyzed by the fear of failure. We may fear intimacy because of the fear of rejection or of being hurt again. We may resist change (growth) because of the fear of the unknown.

– “Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed … I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10.

– “That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, “The Lord is my Helper and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.” Hebrews 13:6.

6. We are not willing to “own” our responsibility.

– We need to take responsibility for our past in a broken relationship, a damaged friendship, with a distant child or parent, and so forth.

– “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover … if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23.

7. We have not developed an effective support team.

– Do you have a sponsor or an accountability partner? Do you have the phone numbers of others in you small group? Have you volunteered for a commitment to your recovery ministry?

– “Be with wise men and become wise. Be with evil men and become evil.” Proverbs 13:20.

– “Dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each another.” Galatians 5:13.

– “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command.” Galatians 6:2.