Oh my Father, I confess that I was not pure in heart yesterday regarding my relationship with You, nor was I poor in spirit. I did not search for You with all my heart and with all my soul. I did not listen to You through all the watches of the day.
Instill in me a pure heart today that I may follow You without hesitation or deflection and that I may trust in You with all my heart and all my soul and with all my spirit, as I look forward to that glorious day when I will see You face to face for all eternity.
I got to know the host of this podcast, Chris laFreniere, and will be publishing a book by him called Bipolar Is Who I Am, which will come out by the end of this year.
Years back, when I was visiting my mother in a nursing home in Hankinson, North Dakota, I asked her a question to make sure she would be safely tucked away in heaven when she died.
“Mother, if you died tomorrow and were standing outside the gates of heaven, and St. Peter asked why he should let you in, what would you say?”
My mother was a Catholic of great faith, who was choir director of Holy Rosary Church in Detroit Lakes for decades, was the soloist for Bobby Vee’s and Karen Bergen’s wedding, was a prayer warrior of deep conviction, fed transients who came to our back door for food, and was otherwise a very caring and loving person. I was uneasy that she might have brought up all the heavenly works she did to earn her way into heaven, as if anyone could earn their way into heaven by good works. If that were possible, there would have been no reason for Jesus to be crucified.
My mind was put at ease when she said, “I’d point to Jesus and say to St. Peter, ‘Because He loves me and I love Him.'” Essentially, she was saying, “Not because of anything I’ve done but because of what Jesus did for me.”
Over the years, I’ve asked different people why they wanted to go to heaven. Too often the answer has been that they want to see their dear mother, Uncle Louie, a child that died too soon, a spouse of 50 years, or talk to Mother Theresa. “How about seeing Jesus?” I sometimes ask. The answer is often something like, “Well, I guess I’d like that too.”
How about you? What would you say to St. Peter if you died and he asked you why he should let you in?
I am teaching the principles in this book at my church this fall in an 8-week course Monday nights.
One of the issues we’ll be dealing with is summed up by a question many of us ask ourselves any number of times. How can I be saved/redeemed/ransomed and keep circling back to the same old sins time after time. I thought Jesus died to free me from my sins once and for all.
The answer to that question can be found in the chart below.
The basic concept portrayed by the chart is that the closer we are to Jesus the safer we are, and the farther we are from Jesus, the more likely we are to circle back to the same old sins. There is an in-depth explanation of this in pages 64 to 76 in the book. Here’s the link where you can get this book if you really want to find out the answer to the question. https://bit.ly/buypaperbackSafestPlace
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
That is, those who are poor in themselves and rich in Christ.
In not too long, I will be physically dead; it looms sooner and sooner. I cannot choose for it not to happen, but I can choose to tamper down the old self – that inner me that dominates what I think, do, and say – and die to what this world has to offer for what Christ has waiting for me.
I can’t do it under my own power; it is the work of the Holy Spirit, but I can assent to it with my will. That I can do.
You are what you fill your mind with – negative or positive, the world or Jesus, what you want to do or what God wants you to do. If you want to change who you are, you must first change what you fill your mind with.
For many “Christians,” God is in the abstract – words, thoughts, knowledge, beliefs. All dry. All unsustainable. They do not experience Jesus Christ as real much of the time, as alive within them, as working through them. That is their problem in becoming “real believers.” They are not in touch with Spiritual reality on a regular, continual basis.
This book has now been released and , in my humble opinion, putting aside that I’m the publisher and the author is my brother, it’s a must read. But instead of my commenting on it, take a look at the reviews from prominent Christians.
“THE JESUS EXCHANGE is an amazing look at the transformation offered by God through Jesus. Do yourself a favor, read this book … and allow the author to show you the life-changing transformation that is in Christ Jesus.” -Joe Bailey, founder of the ReMan Initiative, author of The Daily Commune.
“Many Christians, in some raw and honest place in their hearts, long for more in their relationship with God, asking, often silently: Is there something else? Is there more to being a Christian than being forgiven? Am I more than a pardoned sinner? Is there more to experience of Christ directly? “If you long for a faith that offers much more than a ticket to heaven—a faith walk that moves beyond religion and into the realm of intimate relationship with Jesus, you’ll be enthralled by The Jesus Exchange.” -Alan D. Wright, senior pastor of Reynolda Church (a multi site congregation in NC), daily radio teacher heard on 400 stations nation-wide, and best-selling author of six books, including most recently The Power to Bless and Seeing as Jesus Sees.
“In The Jesus Exchange, Dr. Bill Day, a clinical psychologist, brings not only a unique perspective of his own transformation, but also has integrated his discoveries into his ministry and his theological reflections. He invites you to “dive into Jesus.” Are you longing to know and feel God’s love in a personal way? If so, then I invite you to read The Jesus Exchange. You will not be disappointed.” -Paul Leitzell, executive pastor, Oasis Church, Holly Springs, NC.
You can purchase this book on Amazon by clicking this link: bit.ly/buyTheJesusExchange If you want something more than a getting-by Christian life, I invite you to read this book.
Whose world do I live in – my world or God’s world?
In my world, I pray from my perspective. “Help restore this broken relationship? Let (fill in the blank) win the upcoming election. Help my friend get the job he has applied for. Heal the cancer of this godly woman.”
In God’s world I pray from His perspective. “What is Your interest in this person? Is this the job You want my friend to have, or is there another coming later? Give me a hint, Lord, of what Your plan is for this chaotic world so I can become a part of Your agenda. Use this godly woman to advance Your kingdom here on earth; bring her peace in her affliction and let her shine forth as Your ambassador to the lost; and if it is in Your will to show the world Your power through her divine healing, then I pray You do so.”
What is important to God is greater than what is important to you. Seek His will, become part of His world, and advance His kingdom in this dark world.
I was in prayer this morning but markedly distracted by the turmoil going on with the political scene in the United States. It’s dominating the news and the hearts of Americans. It’s heating up and only going to get hotter.
I was having a hard time concentrating until the Holy Spirit put the sixth beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount into my mind.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
As I meditated on this, I realized the pure in heart don’t focus on politics as a dominating thought. They focus on Jesus. I believe that’s what Jesus meant with this beatitude. “Look to Me first. Put Me first in your heart. Don’t be distracted by all the noise in the world; all that will pass away, but I will not pass away.”
That’s not to say we should totally ignore politics. After all, it’s a part of our lives that should interest us – to a degree. But we should see it through the pure lens of Jesus’ heart. When I look to Him, I can almost see tears in His eyes as he beholds the anger, rancor, hatred, and hostility that has become a part of politics. Scripture says we should be imitators of Christ. There’s an awful lot of unChristlike behavior going on in the political realm. May it not be so for you or for me.
Another Broadcast is now live, with the subject matter being my ministry to those suffering with alcohol and drug addictions. Three months back I was on a podcast called Coffee on the Couch. It was the first of two podcasts with Chris LaFreniere. The reason he had me on was to discuss my new book, FINDING THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH, which is available on Amazon: bit.ly/SafestPlaceonAmazon
In this first interview, Chris first asks me about how I connect to God, then how to manage prayer time, followed by the ins and outs of drug addictions, and ending with a discussion of my book. The next interview release has more to do with my book. I’ll let you know.
