DAD'S DAILY BREAD

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, ROMANS 2:4a

To me this is one of the scariest places to be. The hypocrisy and stubbornness and just utter betrayal is just black and white. But when I’m truly honest with myself I feel like I’m doing that all the time… Woe is me. I’m so unworthy!! If there was a list of people that deserved the wrath of God the most, my name would be on the very top!!! The whole point is to push me to repent!! Not just stay in disobedience and sin…

not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ROMANS 2:4b

Isn’t it cool that every single problem, every question and emotion and action can be explained in scripture. Living and active to teach and train and guide! Thank you Jesus for making a way for me to get to you!!! On my own I would be dead and alone chasing my tail in a dark room somewhere… But you have a plan. Please help me to walk in repentance everyday for the rest of my life!

APPLICATION

Live out repentance everyday. Find the sin and the action associated with it and do the opposite. Keep the holiness of God as the main focus as I go through my prayers and my day. Walking in repentance means to change. Let actions speak for themselves. Trust God knowing that He is sufficient! He can fill my cup with everlasting life!! Please Lord have mercy on me. Help me to change the thing that doesn’t bring you honor! Stop trashing our testimony with things that don’t bring people to Jesus. Eternal focus!!! Spreading the gospel is the goal. His plans, not my plans!! Be a living and walking example to my family because it all starts with me.

In His Name.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive, 29 until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, Romans 1

Reading this passage brings up many different emotions and feelings. Being stuck here for the last few days I believe the spirit is wanting me to remember what It felt like to be alone. Remember the loneliness and the feeling you have when you are separated from the ones you love. The ironic thing is that when you are using drugs and living in sin you just want everyone to leave you alone and let you do what you want. But once that actually happens and the only voice left in your head is your own, that is when the wheels begin to fall off the wagon. You’re left with the toxic and diluted mind of a severely addicted person whose only life mission is to please and satisfy himself. Thank You God for having a plan!

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3

Reading and feeling and allowing myself to experience those past feelings really builds a sense of sadness for those still struggling with addiction. It is such a scary place to be and the worst part is most people are too sick to even see it. My heart hurts for the men and women and the families struggling with addiction.

They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Romans 1

This section starts with some pretty gruesome sins then it ends with this list. Good reminder that God sees all sin as “gruesome” so I should have that same attitude about my sin! Thank you Lord for your grace that is new every morning!!

APPLICATION:

Don’t ever forget where I came from. Remember that sin will always take way more than I’m willing to give. Live out everyday in repentance. Doing my best to walk in the opposite direction. Surround myself with people that want to be holy because He is Holy! DO NOT COMPROMISE! Especially when it comes to my mind. Be careful what I give time and space to…

6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8

That verse pretty much sums it up. Thank you Jesus for Your unending love and your grace and mercy that my mind just cannot comprehend! You are so awesome! Thank You Jesus!!

IN HIS NAME

25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:25 esv

First I want to start by asking the Lord for mercy on my soul. Please forgive me for all the times I have chosen sin over You and Your Holy decree to be holy! It’s hard not to think of my past and the guilt and shame of my past sins slowly start to cloud everything. Like I’m slowly sinking in a pool. But then I am reminded of the truths of God, sometimes it takes longer than others, but eventually I choose by faith to forgive myself because I truly think God has forgiven me of my sins. But I still face consequences today from my past and so it’s hard not to think about where my family and I would be if I didn’t make those poor decisions. That guilt and shame get really bad when I think about my dad and all the things I did to my parents and thinking maybe if I was a better son my dad would still be alive… 

I know that’s not all true but it’s a good example of when you exchange the truth for a lie. The lie doesn’t stop there, it grows and it festers. Pretty soon you’re so lost you don’t even remember where you began… It gets really easy to forget you are the son of a King. That you have been bought with a price. Bought with the blood of our Savior! Thank you Lord for the forgiveness of my sins and the grace and mercy that is new every morning. 

APPLICATION:

Stop allowing sin to take any more of my life! Radically amputate the things that create that veil in between the Lord and !. Remember the Truths of the word as I live. Don’t let my mind go to the dark sinful places of the past. Continue to wash my mind with the word daily. Sometimes hourly… Continue to grow with like minded men that also want to honor God with their lives. The Holiness of Christ is the first and last thing on my mind. Honor Christ with everything I do all the way down to the ideas and thoughts I give space to in my head. Be bold enough to talk about Christ more often. Live out my faith in action by serving the Lord and serving my family. Be better because HE deserves it!

IN HIS NAME

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,     ROMANS 1:1a

As I begin this study I have read the first chapter of Romans many times the last few days. Different versions and different commentary. A few different introductions and histories, just to get the most information I can. Now going back and focusing on the first few verses. I have become stuck on the first few words. He calls himself a servant of Christ Jesus and if you look at what it means, the word basically means a slave. But the difference is Paul is a willing slave, who is willingly giving up his life for his master. All that to say is that I feel very convicted in my own life when I read that. Am I willing to give my life to Christ or am I only giving what I feel I can afford and keeping control and anything else I feel I need for myself…? What is stopping me from giving it all to the Lord? Am I lacking faith or am I scared? Do I really believe that He will do what He says He will do? Just the first few words show me how much I need Jesus and how much I need to change. 

Application:

I need to stay in God’s word. Continue to fill my mind with the truths and the attributes of God. Try to filter every thought and every action with the idea of being the Lord’s servant first. Be obedient in the small things that might not seem important, Serve my wife and family putting them above myself. Reinforce the truths of God with my wife and kids and let my actions be the first thing they see pushing them towards Jesus. Most importantly find a battle verse and start memorizing scripture. And never stop praying for my wife and kids. Serve Serve Serve!! 

In His Name