WEDNESDAY'S WORD - NARRATIVE - 05/31/17 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"If there was one overarching theme to 'True Detective,' I would say it was that, as human beings, we are nothing but the stories we live and die by - so you'd better be careful what stories you tell yourself." - Nic Pizzolatto - Writer NARRATIVE- is a spoken or written account of connected events; the narrated parts of a literary work, as distinct from dialogue; the practice or art of telling stories; or the representation of a particular situation or process in such a way as to conform to an overarching set of aims or values. A narrator, often the object of the story in a book or film, gives a spoken account that helps the audience relate. The phrase,"change the narrative" means to change the framework within which events are perceived and interpreted. Our perceptions form our personal narrative...the story that we tell ourselves and others. We go on to interpret and often live out whatever that story might be even if it contradicts for good or for bad, with the facts, the opinions of others, or the truth of God's Word. This has been true since the beginning.   Adam willfully sinned by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then he hid from the Lord."Then the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, I heard the sound of You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.  And He said, "Who told you you were naked?" Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." (Gen. 3:9-12) Eve had her blame-filled narrative as well, "Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (vs. 13) Unfortunately, the story they told themselves could not absolve them of the responsibility for their choices. Maybe that's not your story. Perhaps you've assumed blame, guilt and shame for something that's really NOT your fault.   The story we tell ourselves can be crippling or liberating. Everyone around us can believe that we are the best thing since sliced bread, but if we're telling ourselves a different story...that becomes our truth, which will displace any other opinion and rule our lives. What story are you telling yourself about your personal trauma?  I am in awe of Joseph, who after being betrayed, left for dead by his brothers, thrown into slavery, falsely accused of rape and imprisoned...came out of all that anguish and suffering saying, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Gen. 50:20) Talk about changing the narrative! Joseph had to internally change his framework from self-pity to acceptance of and submission to God's purpose for those events. It wasn't that they hadn't happened to him. It was that His PERCEPTION, UNDERSTANDING, and INTERPRETATION of the MEANING of the events had changed.  What stories have you been telling yourself? If you believe God works all things together for GOOD, maybe it's time to change your narrative!

SUNDAY Worship 11:00 AM Worship The Great Room Sunday Class 9:30 AM Youth Room Basement at Wyoming Presbyterian 225 Wyoming Ave., 45215 For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - INTERVENE - 05/24/17 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Prayer is our invitation to God to intervene in the affairs of earth. It is our request for Him to work His ways in this world." - Dr. Myles Monroe

Have you ever gotten yourself in a mess and needed the LORD to INTERVENE? God's powerful hand can come in and prevent your dominoes from falling. I need Him to do that right now! How about you?  To INTERVENE means to come between so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events; to occur as a delay or obstacle to something being done; to interrupt.  One definition is to be situated between things; in this case, God situating Himself between me and the consequences of a not too great decision. There are times when we need Divine Intervention. I had to settle down to pray about it versus panicking. That's exactly what God wants us to do. So today you have Wednesday's Word and Wednesday's Prayer all wrapped up in one.

In 2 Kings 6:1-7, the followers of the prophet Elisha traveled to the Jordan River to get some logs and make themselves a shelter. They started to cut down trees, and the ax head of one of the disciples fell off of its handle and sank into the water. Not only had he lost the instrument he was using to cut down the trees for their shelter; he had also borrowed the ax from someone and now would have to repay the debt and suffer the shame of the loss and potential slavery for repayment. 6"The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed Elisha the place, Elisha cut off a piece of wood. He threw it into the water at that place and made the ax head float. 7 Elisha said, "Pick it up." The disciple reached for it and picked it up." God, through Elisha, miraculously intervened to save the man from debt and embarrassment and ensured that the prophet and his company had lodging. Ax heads are usually made of stone or metal...but God made it float...doing the impossible to rescue one of His servants.

When we're in trouble, how often is a prayer or a request for Divine Intervention our first option? We know God sees the trouble we're in...even if that trouble is from what financial guru Dave Ramsey calls, "Stupid Tax." (which is NOT always financial). But have we even asked the LORD to do anything about the trouble we've gotten ourselves in? Psalm 46:1 tells us that, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble." James 5:13 asks, "Is any of you afflicted? (suffering hardships or trouble) Let them pray." What are we praying for? For the LORD to intervene, to right the wrong, to forgive our sin, or even our stupidity, and to alter the course of events so that the blow of our mistake won't be quite so harmful. Our weaknesses and faults are clear for us to see. We may have messed up royally, but LORD right now, please INTERVENE! in Jesus' name!

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ABANDONMENT - 05/17/17 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. - Saint Teresa of Avila Abandonment is not an easy topic for an orphaned person to broach, neither is rejection. The idea that someone would leave and choose not to care for a child as cute as this one is beyond me ; ) To ABANDON means to cease to support or look after someone; to desert; to leave a place empty or uninhabited, without intending to return; to give up completely (a course of action, a practice, or a way of thinking). Captains abandon ship because they know the boat is sinking. The original Latin idea was to 'bring under control.'  Sometimes when abandonment occurs, whether it's physically leaving or emotional silent withdrawal; it's because the person knowingly or subliminally wants to bring what seems out of control in their situation or inside themselves back into a semblance of control. E.g. "My life is too complicated to deal with a child right now. I'm too depressed, needy, in sin, etc. to handle this relationship, and I can't allow my feelings to overtake me. My boss is driving me bonkers. I'll abandon this to gain possession of myself and my world again." Maybe it's happened to you...maybe you've done it. When Moses was leading Israel into their promised land, he encouraged them to, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) They were fighting a physical battle with enemies that they were to dispossess. We are fighting a spiritual battle with powers, emotions and PTSD that is warring for possession of our souls, (mind, will, emotions, and decisions) that are wounded from being abandoned in the past. We can be so consumed with maintaining control and avoiding hurt that we decide not to love again. Or we can get so obsessed with people staying that we try to be perfect, or suffocate them. Even the marital vows we make for better, worse, richer, poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others - do not prevent us from the fear or possibility of being left by those we love. Unfortunately, our security is not in Jesus, the only One whom we know will NEVER leave.   Some of us trust in money, and even use it to hold on to relationships. Paul tells the Hebrews not to be anxious or controlling about money, "Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 13:6) God's care for us continues even when money leaves us, and we scramble to get control again. All of this controlling of people and possessions is the antithesis of WORSHIP. It's so interesting that the word ABANDON has another connotation - a complete lack of inhibition and restraint. "They worship with total and reckless abandon." True worshipers hold on to God, as He holds us. They don't care what anyone thinks about it, and they're not afraid. You can stay or go. We've let go of our control and given it to God.

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - THERAPEUTIC - 05/10/17 Sadell Bradley New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"We do not heal the past by dwelling there; 

we heal the past by living fully in the present." 

- Marriane Williamson

 

These days everyone is looking for some kind of physical, spiritual, mental, relational or emotional healing. It's astonishing all the things we use to make ourselves healthy and sound again. We try music, counseling, massage, play, exercise, groups, and even hire rescue animals to recover. THERAPEUTIC means relating to the healing of disease; administered or applied for reasons of health; having a good effect on the body or mind, contributing to a sense of well being.  In the Lexicon, the Greek therapeutikos is defined: to minister to, or to treat medically; therapeuo means to serve, cure, care for, attend to, or treat, especially of a physician. It's to heal by reversing a physical condition to restore a person having an illness, disease or infirmity (which includes mental weakness). Healing is a big deal to God.

Often, when Jesus healed in the Scripture a form of the word therapeutic is used: When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, He was questioned as to whether it was lawful to heal therapusai on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10). After Jesus used the vehicle of touch to heal Peter's mother of a fever, many demon-possessed and sick people were brought to Him and He cast out the spirits with His command and healed etherapeusen all their sick to confirm the Word through the prophet Isaiah, "He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases." (Matthew 8:14-16) In Matthew 4:23-24, "Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed (therapeuon) every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed--He healed (etherapeusen) them all."  At the Beautiful Gate, the man was healed (tetherapeumenon) by Peter and John. (Acts 4:14) I could go on...
 
Much of the ministry of Jesus and the Holy Spirit's power through His followers was and is intended to be therapeutic - to bring healing. Jesus and His disciples used several means to accomplish this: speaking the Word of healing, accessing the faith of those in need, spitting on the ground for eye patches, laying on hands, having people go back to priests/doctors for confirmation, etc. God healed the past of Saul, redeeming him from his sin to fulfill his call and destiny as the Apostle Paul. (Acts 9) Jesus' shed blood not only forgives our sin but heals us of our guilty conscience. (Hebrews 10:22) Believers in Jesus should desire and expect not just to be healed in some way themselves, but also to be available as instruments of healing for others.

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD on THURSDAY - PERSUADE - Sadell Bradley - 05/04/17 - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good."
 - Thomas Jefferson

PERSUADE means to cause someone to do something through reasoning or argument; or to cause someone to believe something, especially after sustained effort. We think persuasion and convincing are the same; they're not. Convince derives from a Latin word that means to 'conquer or overcome.' Persuade means 'to advise, make appealing and sweeten." In general convincing is limited to the mind, while persuasion results in ACTION. When we're persuaded, our emotions and our spirits are also affected to a degree that actually moves us.  Why is persuasion important? Because...

Faith is the ability to believe God and be persuaded about Divine Truth. According to the Lexicon, the Greek pistis is trust, faith, belief, confidence, fidelity and faithfulness - God's divine persuasion. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will.  If I'm going to ACT on God's will, I must first be PERSUADED about it. Even in the arena of salvation, the Apsotle Paul said, "Since, then we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others..." (2 Cor. 5:11) What do we use to persuade? The Good News of God's mercy, love, grace and forgiveness. "The LORD isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think.  He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:9) How did Paul know this? He was formerly a persecutor of Christians, but a merciful encounter with Jesus was used to persuade him of the love of Christ for even a hate-filled, murderer such as himself.
 
It took time and experience with Jesus for Paul to be persuaded. It was inconceivable after all he'd done that God would grant him such a great deal. He concluded that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance and life change. (Romans 2:4) This persuasion comes from the fact that not only did we escape the punishment we deserved from a Holy God, but we also enjoy His blessings that we don't deserve! God is always presenting us opportunities and challenges that are meant to persuade us of who He is, of His love for us, of our calling, and of the surety of His promises.  Abraham was justified by his faith - his full persuasion and belief in God was credited to him as righteousness. (Rom 4:3) Though he and his wife Sarah were barren, He believed that he would be granted a son and become the father of many nations just because God said so. His circumstance disagreed with God's promise. He and Sarah had doubts and tried to make other plans. Yet the Bible ultimately records, "he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." (Romans 4:20-21) Many of us are in circumstances that do not look or feel at all like God's promise. This can leave us frustrated, disappointed, and fearful. Still, allow God to persuade you of His truth. Peter prayed that the trial of our faith which is more precious than gold, though it be tried by the fire, might be found to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7) Let your willingness to be persuaded be worship that glorifies God!

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131