Douglas Baptist Church

Life is full of struggles. As we go through life we will face many challenges. All too often we seek to go it alone and “put on a happy face.” We don’t want to divulge what we are going through or what we are wrestling with so we just go about our business and pretend that everything is okay. Meanwhile deep within us a battle is going on, a battle for our soul!

I would like to think that this doesn’t happen in church but I know better. The words of Mark Hall in his book “Lifestories” remind me that often many of us are struggling along on our own…

“Growing up in a church that didn’t talk about personal sins and struggles rendered me a young adult who didn’t talk about sins and struggles. That’s not good when you’re becoming a minister…I formed this picture from what I had read and heard, and at church I strived to be that person. If there was anything in me that didn’t fit the mental picture, I had to bury it…I don’t think I’m alone. Our insistence on maintaining an image is the reason most believers rarely confess bitterness, jealously, addition, lust, self-hate, greed, and anger at God over tragedy or suffering.”

I agree…Mark Hall isn’t alone. There are certain things we choose to bury, certain things we choose not to talk about but I’m afraid that doing this does more harm then good! Now I’m not suggesting that we run around and confess our deepest darkest struggles with everyone on Sunday morning but we do need to find ways to connect with and care for each other on a deeper level. We need to be supported in our struggles and encouraged by others to live out this new life in Christ. God doesn’t want us to struggle silently in the shadows…

(Galatians 6:1-2) Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Each day every one of us has many choices to make. Some choices seem more significant than others of course but did you ever stop to think that each word that you utter is a choice. Some of us make a lot of choices in a day don’t we!

If we begin to see every word that we utter, everything that we say as being a choice then we will begin to take responsibility for what we are saying and how it affects other people. Have you ever been given the following advice…”Choose your words carefully!” Depending on the situation you may or may not attach fond memories to this advice but the truth is that it’s not bad advice. Whether we are talking to our spouse, our children, a friend, or a total stranger we should choose our words carefully.

Words are powerful things and all too often I am tempted to use them in ways that are not helpful. In Romans 12:14 Paul encourages us to “bless” rather then “curse” others. Often when I hear the word “curse” I think of a list of particular words…no I’m not going to provide any examples, hopefully you get the point! But this passage helps me to realize that my words have the power to bless or to curse. I can bless people by using encouraging words and speaking kindly to them or I can curse people by using my words to speak ill of them. I’ve got a choice to make and so do you!

I would love to hear how the words of others have been a blessing to you! Sometimes we need to be reminded that a few words said at just the right moment can make a huge difference!

Have you ever been standing in line at the grocery story, looked over at the magazine rack, and seen one of those before and after pictures of someone? You know the ones I mean, there is a less then flattering picture of someone on one side and then this amazing picture of them looking so trim and fit on the other. The caption reads something like, loose 100 pounds in a hundred days. Okay maybe I’m stretching it a little but you get the point. You look at it and think-yeah right, if only it were that easy!

Yet somewhere deep down inside your tempted to pick up that magazine and take it home because maybe just maybe it will work. Most of us realize (from experience) that it’s never that easy. It takes so much more effort.

Or maybe you are at the hairdressers patiently waiting for your turn and you pick up one of those books they have that show you what you could look like if you got your hair cut or colored just like the person in the picture. You look at it and think well maybe…then your name is called and you go with the usual!

Somewhere deep down inside we know we want to be different but it’s hard…hard to get up the courage, hard to follow through…it’s just hard!

We all experience times in our life when we wish we could get rid of something, maybe it’s a few pounds or that grey hair that keeps growing, BUT often it’s more then that. As important as those things are, there are other things we wish we could get rid of- bad habits, feelings of guilt or anxiety. Whatever it is we just wish we could get rid of it, turn over a new leaf, put it behind us and start fresh.

I know it’s not easy to start fresh, to stop doing those things we always do. How does that saying go…OLD HABITS DIE HARD. But I also know that the Bible tells us there is Hope. Jesus came to free us, to bring us life-NEW LIFE.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A New life has begun!” That sounds good to me. How about putting that on the cover of a magazine or in a TV AD? “I don’t have to be the same anymore!” New Life is possible through JESUS CHRIST!

I want to invite you to explore this New Life with me. Let’s talk about how we can replace things like guilt, bitterness, lust, anger and brokenness with joy, forgiveness, purity and self-control. I know it’s not always easy but we don’t have to be the same anymore! New Life is possible!

Where do we begin? With God’s word! Commit 2 Corinthians 5:17 to memory. For a fresh approach to this verse try memorizing it in the New Living Translation…

What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!