Why do we get addicted?

Scientists, theologians and psychologists agree that as humans we were wired to seek PLEASURE.

God created us to crave relationship with Him, to need it and benefit from it. For example Psalm 42:2 (AMP) says:

"My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Countless times we will read verses in the Bible that show us that a close relationship with God is good for our health, our well-being, our minds, our bodies, our relationships … in fact, good for every area of life.

Other things will give us pleasure, of course, but it won’t be of the lasting, eternal kind and may have some pretty nasty side effects. God wants to give us joy that has no negative backlash and no “hang over”.

Read this scripture from Psalm 16:7-11 (GNT)

“I praise the Lord, because he guides me, and in the night my conscience warns me. I am always aware of the Lord's presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me. And so I am thankful and glad, and I feel completely secure, because you protect me from the power of death. I have served you faithfully, and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead. You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.”

The last line of this scripture blew me away! Did you miss it? Maybe read it again. It says that only His presence can bring us pleasure forever. If we please Him, we, in turn will be pleased. Pleasing God makes us truly, lastingly happy.

Our trouble is that we look for the satisfaction and pleasure found in God in all the wrong places. Rather than pleasing Him we look for ways to please ourselves. We try to manufacture pleasure in other ways. This is where our bad habits and addictions can take over. But all of those things have something in common: they are temporary.

It is so comforting for us to remember that Psalm 63:7 says:

“For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

PRAYER:

Lord, forgive me for allowing temporary pleasures to take Your place. Show me how to give You more access and room in my life today. Amen.

What is a bad habit?

None of us wantto live a life weighed down by bad habits. This new devotional is an opportunity to leave some of the past behind, as we examine our patterns of thinking and set fresh goals for ourselves.

The word “habit” comes from the Latin “habitus” meaning “condition or appearance”. Our secret habits demonstrate a great deal about the real condition or state of us as people. They often show us something of what is actually going on in our hearts and minds. They also give us an idea of what we fear or worry about.

A bad habit is a regular tendency or practice that has become almost involuntary. (In other words, when we say, “I don’t like it, but I can’t help it!”)

For the purposes of The Habit Breaker book I define a negative habit as a behavior that is detrimental to our physical or mental health – and something that robs us of peace.

A bad habit isn’t always the same as an addiction – although it can definitely be a gateway to one.

The Bible identifies many things that lead us into unhelpful patterns, such as: complaining, over-eating, indulging, poor spending, gossip, malicious talk, gambling, wasting money, criticizing others, over-work, self-gratification and laziness. How many poor habits can you spot in our passage for today?

We are encouraged in Ephesians 4:22 to “throw off” our old sinful nature. The Message version of this verse says that “everything connected with that old way of life has to go.”

I recognize that this is going to be hard. We get attached to our habits, don’t we? But it is so worth letting the Holy Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes and allowing Him to help us, as we put on a new nature.

Whatever your habits today and whatever you are struggling with, know that God understands and has given you all you need to find your freedom.

Write down:In what ways do your habits rob you of peace?Which habit you would like to be free from this year?What three benefits would you experience if you were set free from that habit?PRAYER:

Father, thank you that you know my heart and the habits I battle with. Please teach me practical and positive things I need to do to break free of my dependencies. Amen.

No Going Backby Bryant Wright

DESCRIPTIONThere’s no going back to the pre-Christian days. We’re now on an irreversible journey that follows Jesus to the ultimate Promised Land!

"For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea." - 1 Corinthians 10:1

The book of Exodus comments on the actions of the Israelites after Passover. It says that after the Passover Lamb, God saved their lives and led them to freedom. Then they demonstrated their faith by walking through the sea. In a way, their obedience was similar to a baptism, just like the baptism of a new believer in Jesus Christ. God was saying to Israel—just as He was saying to the early church—Look, once you take that first step, there’s no going back! Once God brought the waters of the sea together again, there was no going back to slavery in Egypt. The Israelites had to walk forward on their journey of faith.

The same is true when we accept Christ. Once we are saved, we are to be baptized as a testimony of our faith in Christ. When we enter those waters, there’s no going back! There’s no going back to the pre-Christian days. Sure, we can try, but it will never be the same. We’re now on an irreversible journey that follows Jesus to the ultimate Promised Land! So don’t look back—keep looking forward to follow Jesus.

Leadership Is Not a Rightby Lead Like Jesus

DESCRIPTIONLike many things in life, leadership is a choice.

Like many things in life, leadership is a choice. Those in leadership positions have made a choice to be there. One can freely seek the mantle of leadership and one can just as easily leave a position of leadership. One of the problems is that some seek leadership for the wrong reasons. Sometimes a decision to seek a position of leadership is based on things such as money, power, or prestige. These individuals may not be focused on the interests of others. Instead they are fixated on their own rights and responsibilities that they derive from the position. True leaders realize that leadership is not about rights, it is about the awesome responsibility that comes with the job; the responsibility to focus on the needs of others; to be selfless, not selfish.

What is your focus of leadership, rights or responsibilities?

By Randy Garner

What is Criticism?

by Lead Like Jesus

DESCRIPTIONWe can either remain painfully affected by criticism or we can seek new ways to deal with it.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of criticism? Criticism is a term that almost immediately evokes a sense of apprehension. Our reaction to criticism is often evident in a general perception of discomfort. Criticism is usually unsolicited, often unwanted, and frequently unwelcome.

However, criticism is a daily occurrence for most of us. As a result, we can either remain painfully affected by it or we can seek new ways to handle criticism-prone environments.

The dictionary typically defines “criticism” as that which stresses fault or focuses on blame. The Encarta Dictionary’s first two entries are:

1. Act of criticizing: a spoken or written opinion or judgment of what is wrong or bad about somebody or something.2. Disapproval: spoken or written opinions that point out one or more faults of somebody or something.

Notice there is nothing positive, uplifting, or encouraging about these definitions; they are exclusively negative in tone and focus on “what is wrong or bad."

Reviewing entries related to the term criticism in a thesaurus is equally pessimistic and involves words such as censure, disapproval, disparagement, condemnation, and denigration. In fact the antonym listed is “praise." So our common understanding of the word criticism is decidedly negative and condemning. How would you define the word?

Interestingly, the origin of the term was much different and was identified with classic philosophers who used the term to describe a way of thinking about culture and poetry. The word was defined in the context of an intellectual activity and indicated that one was “able to judge or discern."

The focus of criticism during this period was to discuss how closely a song or poem, for example, actually captured the essence of that which it described. It did not have the overwhelming negative connotation that it has today. In fact, criticism of that period concentrated on an admiration for works that affected an emotional and thoughtful response from the audience.

We can consider thinking about and defining criticism in a way that is more consistent with the history of the term and focuses more on the positive side of the ledger.

One definition is: “Offering productive and constructive information intended to help others to grow, recover, improve, prosper, or excel (G.R.I.P.E.). Of course simply offering a new definition is wholly insufficient. We have to reevaluate our thoughts on criticism; we must examine our intended goals and desired outcomes when we are considering offering criticism to others.

There are those times in life when we must give criticism: how do we do it in a manner that helps a person grow? 

The Value of Play

by Bayless Conley
DESCRIPTION

You need to make sure you live a balanced life. Take time for rest and for play. Recharge your batteries. You are in this thing for the long haul.
I think we would all agree that the Christian life is one to be taken seriously. But in our desire to go all out for Christ, we can get to a place where we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained.

God does not intend for us to live our lives that way.  In fact, in 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul tells us, God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

You and I need to take time to enjoy the things God gives us. In fact, Jesus said this to His disciples in Mark 6:31, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

It is so easy to live our lives believing that somehow it is more spiritual to be on the edge of exhaustion all the time.  But God clearly tells us that we are to take time to rejuvenate and to enjoy the things He has put into our lives.

When I was a young minister, I had the chance to meet with a seasoned minister who had literally changed the world for Christ. I thought, “Man, this is my golden opportunity.  I’m going to ask him some questions.”

So I said to him, “Look, I’m a young man in ministry. You have had decades more experience than me. You have impacted the world. What is the best advice you could give me as a young minister?”

And he said, “Well, Bayless, you have a nice golf swing.  My advice is that you get some lessons. And whatever it costs you, join a country club and play golf regularly.” Then he looked at me and said, “Golf is the only thing that’s kept me alive.”

It was some of the best advice I had ever received.

You need to make sure you live a balanced life. Take time for rest and for play. Recharge your batteries. You are in this thing for the long haul.

God’s Eternal Promise

by Daily Disciples
DESCRIPTION

Be encouraged and hopeful because the Lord will never let you down. He will keep every promise.
Today's Reading:  1 Samuel 30-31; Luke 13:23-35

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. Genesis 9:13-15

I was taught as a child that the rainbow symbolized God’s promise that He would never again destroy the earth with water. Every time it rained, I looked for the rainbow and I remembered God’s promise. Since moving to Southern California, I have seen fewer rainbows, mainly because it seldom rains here. But as the winter brings seasonal rains, I find myself once again searching the skies for that rainbow. What a joy to see that beautiful arc of colors when the sun breaks through the clouds!

As beautiful as the rainbow is, there is still nothing as beautiful as another symbol that Christians look toward. The symbol of a cross representing the cross of Christ. Just as the rainbow is a sign of God’s promise to not destroy the earth with water, the cross is a sign of God’s eternal promise of salvation. As Jesus, Son of God, died on a cross, the cross would forevermore represent God’s covenant of grace and love. The cross is a symbol reminding us that Jesus died for our sins. For those who believe in Jesus, the cross represents a covenant of everlasting life with God in heaven.

Rainbows and crosses are just two ways that God reminds us of His covenants, or promises, to us. What other ways does God remind you of His promises for your life? Be encouraged and hopeful because the Lord will never let you down, He will keep every promise. Sit down with His word and ask Him to show you His promises for you today. You might be surprised at the reminders that He will give you. And never let a rainbow or a cross go unnoticed… take a moment when you see them and give God praise for keeping His promises.