Your Deepest Cares

TODAY’S VERSE
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
I Peter 5:7 (AMP)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Why is it we feel we need to minimize our pain? Where did we get the idea that we would become a burden to God? How did we come to believe that it is unspiritual to admit that we have been a victim of something awful? Abuse, violence, the death of a loved one, divorce, a bad accident, incarceration, war. God cares when we have suffered as the result of something being done to us. And God cares when we have suffered from trauma as the result of something not happening. When love, safety and security from those we trust is missing, we get trauma in the form of abandonment, unfaithfulness, embezzlement, betrayal, gossip or neglect. And to pretend that we are not affected and everything is fine is to only add to the already damage left in trauma’s wake. It is not spiritual to “tough it out.” It is spiritual to be healed. Peter is pleading with us to cast all of our cares onto Jesus. His whole book speaks about the suffering of Jesus and how He understands our suffering. And here Peter assures us that Jesus “cares for you.” He cares for you with deep affection. Today, bring your pain to Jesus. Tell Him about your trauma. Ask Him to give you strength, forgiveness, peace and a deep understanding of love. Ask Him to heal your broken heart; heal your deep wounds of grief and anger. Bring the whole of your cares. Cast them on Him and leave them there.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come to You. I come to You with all my burden, all my cares. You know my pain. You know my suffering. I bring it all to You. Heal my hurts. Heal my heart. Return me to joy, I pray.
AMEN

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“But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”
Psalms 3:3 (NLT)

Shame. You know the drill. You drop your head and roll it down and away, as your shoulders slump and you let out a deep sigh. You talk, but it is without eye contact, constantly fighting looking down and away again. It is worst than a feeling of guilt. With guilt you can confess your wrong doing. Shame is deeper. It isn’t about “doing”, it’s about “being”. How do you repent of being something you are so ashamed of? How can you renew something that is so broken, so damaged, so worthless? Shame, more than an emotion, is a deeply worn brain map, a trait, a feeling that you are totally unworthy. And so we medicate to regulate this devasting feeling.

But then there is God. God who comes and lifts up our head and whispers deep into our soul, “Don’t call what I have created worthless.” God, whose love for us can soften the calloused skin around our heart and begin to birth new life. God who bestows glory on us. He is the shame slayer. Today, let Him lift your head. And when He does, gaze into His face. Feel the glory He has given you. Let it radiate deep into your soul and believe. Believe you are loved. Believe that you were created for His glory and that your shame is a lie, a false belief, a shame given to you by others. Let Him tenderly lift your head and take away your shame.

Dear Father, I have felt such a deep sense of shame. I bring it to you today and ask You to banish it. Lift up my head and let me see Your face. Let Your deep love penetrate my heart and set me free. Today, let me see myself the way You do. In Jesus’ Name.
AMEN

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There is a high correlation between shame and addictions. We medicate to regulate our emotions and there is no stronger emotion than shame. Shame keeps us from accepting ourself and all the love that God has for us as well. We simply cannot believe. Lewis Smedes in his book, “Shame and Grace” writes, “The feeling of shame is about our very selves – not about something we did or said but about what we are. It tells us that we are unworthy. Totally. It is not a few seams in the garment of our selves need stitching; the whole fabric is frayed. We feel we are unacceptable.” How do we overcome such devastating feelings? How can we ever shake such a deep emotion? Only through God’s grace. The Bible says in II Thessalonians 2:15-17,  “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” Paul is saying that it is God who loves us and by His grace gives us encouragement and hope. His grace encourages our hearts and strengthens us. Smedes writes, “Grace overcomes shame by simply accepting us, the whole of us, with no regard to our beauty or our ugliness, our virtue or our vices. We are accepted wholesale. Accepted with no possibility of being rejected. Accepted once and forever. Accepted at the ultimate depth of our being. We are given what we have longed for in every nook and nuance of every relationship.” It is this kind of grace that can help us say, “Enough! I don’t need to medicate to regulate my emotions. I can accept God’s love for me and with His grace return to joy from negative emotions.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Are you listening? It is by grace that you are saved. You are loved.

Oh Father, melt my heart. Open me and pour your grace deep into my soul. I believe, but today help my unbelief. Your grace loves me. Your grace saves me. Lord, I renounce my shame and accept your unconditional love. Flood my being with the joy of Your grace I pray. Because of Jesus.
AMEN

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SOZO Salvation, Healing and Wholeness Lesson One – Healing and Maturity

If we are going to stop “medicating” to regulate our emotions then we need to learn how to return to Joy from emotional stress. Being able to share authentic stories with a loving caring group is one way we can learn this. You will not make your sobriety stick in isolation. You need a group you can trust. This blog will give you things you can do together to help you all heal and be whole.

 When we share with a caring group we are able to articulate our history. There is a sense that our story is significant, and it is! To you, to God and to this group. It is also a way to develop insight. As we share our story in a authentic way we are able to see others reactions. We pick up on thier happiness to be with us, even as we share a deeply personal story. This helps us to see our self worth. When we listen to other people’s stories, we can create authentic bonds by looking intently into their face and listen with our ears and eyes. This is called “mindfulness”. We are in the moment, focused on the other person. We are “mindful” of them and their story. As they share emotions and visceral body reactions, we can actually get into their experience. As we watch and listen, our mirror neurons start to fire, allowing us to mimic their feelings. They in turn can see we are truly listening and are attuned with them. This begins the social “dance” of attachment and creates true fellowship. Tonight, think of a story when you were sad and were able to return to joy. Make the story of a above moderate level but not over bearing to those listening. Instead of telling a story, open up your right brain by drawing your experience. It could be literal picture of the person or thing you are thinking of. It could be part of the story. It could be a symbolic drawing that reminds you of the object of your sorrow. Express it in drawing and then share with the group.

Sharing authentic stories with others will help you build joy and peace.

SOZO is a one year small group recovery program with phenomenal results.

Substance abuse is only a sympton of a much larger issue. We don’t know how to regulate our emotions. We don’t know how to return to joy when we expereience negative emotions. If we are going to remain sober than we need to consider how to deal with emotional issues.

Paul writes about letting the Holy Spirit control our thinking and getting rid of negative emotions and other human motivations that lead us down the wrong path. Our motivation and thinking should come from the fact that God loves us and has completely forgiven us. We are free in Christ! He writes in Romans 8:1-2, 5-6

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. – Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

Visualize

Take a time when you “blew it” and did the opposite of what you wanted and visualize it. Now bring Jesus into the picture and have Him help you do what you really wanted to do. Visualize you doing the “right thing”. Feel His presence, His hope, His strength helping you do what you really wanted to do. 

Here is what we are trying to do. This is the secret to living the life God wants us to:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think (renewing your mind). Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

 Visualize

Picture yourself before God and having Him renew your mind. Sense the change. Feel it. Experience your motivation changing.

Do you or someone you know need help with addiction? Call SOZO for our Sozo sober living program. 708-429-2200. Ask for Ron Ovitt

If we really examine our behavior and the motives behind them, we will see when it comes to substance abuse we usually “medicate” in order to regulate our emotions. Anger is one of the most volital emotions we have. We need to be mature about our anger and not let our immaturity get the best of us.

Mature Anger

TODAY’S VERSE
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
James 1:19 (NIV)

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Ephesians 4:31 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
So often we use these passages to beat ourself up with. We interpret as if it said, “Do not be angry” and then berate ourself and bury our feelings. However, if we read these passages we will see that our goal should not be ridding ourself of anger but rather, be mature about what angers us. Mature anger looks at the problem and expresses itself with a solution as its goal. It is slow to speak, slow to anger and quick to listen. On the other hand, immature anger looks at the person involved and expresses itself with bitterness, rage, brawling, slander and malice. Paul insists that we rid ourself of immature anger. Today, when your anger alerts you to a potential negative situation, be slow to react. Assess the problem and ask God what it is He would have you to do. Let your anger be mature.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You that You can help me be mature with my anger. Help me focus on solutions and not bitterness, rage, fighting, slander or malice. Help me express anger in a way that honors you.
AMEN

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TODAY’S VERSE
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
II Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

TODAY’S MESSAGE
We often think of fear as the reaction to scary events, like the screams in a horror movie. But some of our most fearful behavior is often hid from us. Many people who are living daily in fear aren’t even aware of it. In “Surrender To Love” Dr. Benner writes, “One of the things that block us from gaining freedom from fear is that most fearful people don’t think of themselves as afraid. Unless their fears are focused on something external (such as snakes, heights or crowds), most people in bondage to fear fail to recognize the true nature of their inner distress. – Although the object of one’s fears may seem to be external, the real source of the fear is internal. The danger is within. The enemy is one’s own self, or at least some aspect of their self.” This is what Paul was trying to get across. We are so focused on our behavior we don’t see the motivation behind it. Paul called it a “spirit of fear”. It is this internal pervasive fear that controls what we do. It is spiritual and emotional. Satan is a liar and accuser so he fills our head with fear. Our own experience and belief systems do the rest. If we take most of the fear we have, we will see that it is a fear of what others will think or do. But today’s passage says that we do not have to live in that kind of fear. Why? Because God has given us something else. He has given us power, love and a sound mind. What an alternative to anything we would fear. Anything we fear can be defeated either by God’s power, love or the sound mind He has given us. So today, when you are tempted to act out of fear, remember, there are other options. Give the power, love or a sound mind that God has given you a chance.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I thank You for not giving me a spirit of fear. Today, I want to live in Your power and love and the sound mind that You have given me.
AMEN

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TODAY’S VERSE
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
Matthew 10:28-31 (NLT)

TODAY’S MESSAGE
We are valuable to God! Why is it that I wrestle with that so much? Why can’t I accept the fact that God’s love defines my value, not my performance, material belongings or status? I have value because God says I do! It is the lack of believing in our value that causes us to create a false self. In “The Deeper Journey”, M. Robert Mulholland Jr. writes, “As our false self manages our life, we fear that we might not be valued. If our false self’s identity is rooted in our performance, then our value must be rooted in how well we perform. – To the extent our false self guides our life, we fear others. Life with others is a constant threat to our false self. – Others are constant threats to that fragile structure we have created to provide ourselves with identity, meaning, value and purpose.” Jesus came to declare how valuable we are. He would not have wasted His life and died the horrible death He did for something of little value. No, He came to redeem the most valuable thing to Him in the whole universe, the human race. Today, know that you are loved by God. Know that you are valued by Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You that You love me and created me with value. Might the thought that I am valuable to You change my life today and set me free from the fear and bondage of trying to earn Your love. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Forgiveness

TODAY’S VERSE
“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins .”
Psalms 103:2-3 (NIV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
I John 1:9 (NIV)

TODAY’S MESSAGE
What a beautiful plan. God creates us for fellowship with Him. Like Adam and Eve, God allows us a free will, so we can choose to love Him and follow His ways. All the while God knows that He has created us with a human condition that tempts us to stray from Him and His Holy standard. Yet because of His perfect unconditional love for us, He does not require us to be perfect, just forgiven. This is possible through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Now as a result of Christ, God is able to forgive us of every transgression. John writes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Today, confess anything that is between you and God. Get your conscience clear with Him. When you do, God promises to forgive.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit that convicts me of things that are wrong in my life. Thank You for Jesus Christ who took my place on the cross. Guide me today and help clear my conscience with You. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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TODAY’S VERSE
“May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.”
II Thessalonians 3:5 (NLT)

TODAY’S MESSAGE
Because of our need to be loved and the shortage of the kind of love we so desperately need, we often lead our hearts in places that will never bring real satisfaction. We try to find what our heart needs but we are like the song that says we are “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Instead, Paul suggests that we let the Lord lead our heart. When we trust God with our heart, He will lead us where we will find everything we need for lasting joy and peace. That is why Paul is praying that God will lead our heart into a full understanding of the love of God. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine how our life would change if we really understood how much God loved us? Paul did. He is praying that God would lead our hearts into a full understanding of the love of God that results in a full “expression” of His love and the patient endurance that comes from trusting in that love. Do we want to live a life of love? Do we want to have the peace that comes from patient endurance? If so, we need to pray with Paul that God will lead our heart into a full understanding of His love for us. 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, lead my heart today to a better understanding of how much You love me. I pray that my life will exemplify Your love and the patient endurance that comes from being secure in You.
AMEN

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