A Moment with Marlene;

One June day years ago; my son was seven, my daughter two; and it was the last day of school. I remember pulling the car in front of our house with a song swelling in my heart and a calendar full of plans for the greatest family summer ever! Life was good! The birds were singing; the flowers were blooming; and I was extraordinarily happy! However, during the next forty-five seconds, my entire summer was changed from dawn to dusk….

I proceeded to run over myself with the car! That’s right…my CAR! 

It was a big, old, heavy green Ford LTD! How did that happen? Don’t even ask! It is just too embarrassing to even try to explain. Even at this moment, I am still totally humiliated! Let me put it this way. That was the day I discovered I was not Super Woman, Wonder Woman, or any other woman with giant initials on her chest and a cape around her shoulders. I wasn’t even wearing mesh nylons and boots! What was I thinking? Well, I guess I really wasn’t thinking at all! 

The perfect imprint of the tire was very noticeable up my backside…only the tires never touch that side of my body. That shows you how heavy the car was as it crushed me into the gravel road imprinting every detail! OUCH! 

I believe that I had literally a guardian angel intervene and saved my life that day. There are questions about the accident that can be answered only in the miraculous spirit realm. I believe with all my heart that God spared me for the plans that had not yet been fulfilled in my life. 

Many of you have fascinating near death stories as you look back through the pages of your life and see God’s powerful all-knowing hand that literally saved you! SAVED YOU! Your addiction took you down dark paths of destruction where life should be over. But your life is not over until God says it’s over! He protected you because He has plans for you! He not only saved your life, He is revealing why! He is equipping you for the New Life He is unfolding before you! He is strengthening you every day to live that life to the fullest!

Do you cherish that truth? Are you grateful for another chance? Does a determination grip the very fiber of your soul to actually live the life He is offering you through Jesus Christ? 

“For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 

Your life is precious dear friend! Live each valuable day as if it is a gift. Because it is! 

Celebrating New Life Together

Marlene

When we measure ourselves by our fellow man or any other standard – we “think more highly of ourselves than we ought“, why or how you might say … because the focus is on us, the motive is on us, the benefit is for us, its about our honor. We see this in Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

When we think to highly of ourselves its our honor in the forefront of our minds not Gods-  There is no snare to which we are more  likely to fall into than pride. Instead of judging by what constitutes as true excellence of character, we pride ourselves on building ourselves up.

We by nature want to think well of ourselves. This is everyone. This was Job. This was Isaiah. This was Daniel. This was David. It is not just you and I. Only when we come by revelation of faith to see the blessed atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we see how He had to sweat in His blood, to pay the wrath of God upon sin. We see how He was hung on the cross and how the Father turned His back on Him. He was made to be sin for us. Then we will see the filthiness and the power of our sin. We see that outside of that blessed atonement we cannot appear before God.

True repentance changes ones opinion of self when we measure ourselves by the image of Christ to which we desire to be conformed. Job, Saul [Paul], Daniel, David and Isaiah, every one of them, when they truly repented, changed their estimation of themselves. They seen themselves vile before the sight of God. We no longer compare ourselves with ourselves. We do not compare ourselves with others. We start to see ourselves as to where we stand in the light of how much we are conformed to the image of Christ. We have a completely different opinion of ourselves. We learn that outside of that perfect robe of Christ’s righteousness, we are utterly vile. Outside of that blessed atonement of Christ, we are nothing. We need that sprinkling of His blood to cleanse us from the power of sin.

the way we perceive ourselves is part of the process that can either start to break us free from our false belief systems, or fortify them… its a choice…

Marty Lee Herrick

martyh@trm.org

Prov.27: 17

A Moment With Marlene;

I just finish planting flowers in my planter boxes. I love my planter boxes! They will bloom and bloom and bloom for 4 months. 

I stuff the boxes with little scrawny plants of potential, sprinkle with fertilizer pebbles, water….and wait! I watch and I wait! Day in…day out! But in about 3 weeks, something magnificent begins to happen. I look out my window to observe the fruit of my labor….lavish growth and vibrant in color! 

But you know what? Soon I must begin the frequent process of pinching off the dead blossoms, and breaking off the straggly, rebellious long stems trying to do their own thing. Every good gardener understands the value of pruning, which is removing the unwanted for the greater purpose! The result? The plant flourishes for its intended purpose. 

“My Father is the vinedresser….Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15: 1,2 

In our spiritual lives, pruning is an ongoing process from the master gardener. He comes repeatedly to tend our branches so that even though we are doing some things well, we will be able to do more things outstandingly! So we will bear more fruit and become the person God created us to be. 

Drastic, painful pruning is an important part of the New Life Program….cutting off all the old dead growth that strangles and destroys, leaving room for new growth. But it doesn’t end there. It is a continual process of discipline for the rest of your life if you want to keep blossoming, growing, bearing fruit and staying in spiritual shape. 

What does God needs to cut from your life?

• A misguided priority?
• An old habit?
• A relationship?
• Anger?
• Fear?
• A false belief? 

God is pleased to see you grow. But He loves you to much to leave you alone and just refresh you with water now and then. Pruning is God’s way of making room in your life for more of what matters most. As you cooperate with Him, you find yourself amazed at the wonderful results you see flourishing in your life. As you trust His discipline, you will not miss all that old dead thorn infested life. 

“Our heavenly Father never takes anything from His children unless He means to give them something better.” George Muller 

Celebrating New Life Together

Marlene

Deu 8:2

“You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Let us as Israel had failed so many times before, keep the many different kinds of situations, circumstances’, issues and all dealings that God in His own providence worked in, by or through us in the forefront of our minds- placing them on the tablet of our hearts. The difficulties and hardships we have been exposed to and how God has delivered us; together with the various miracles which He has placed upon us should bring us to a place of understanding how His longsuffering is birthed out of love.

Let us look at some key words in this verse to give us a deeper understanding of what this verse means in its original language:

[Remember]- A primitive root, verb; properly to mark (so as to be recognized), that is, to remember; by implication; to recall, to think about, to think on, to be remembered, to recall, to acknowledge, to mention, to make known. The basic meaning indicates a process of mentioning.

[The way] - A masculine noun meaning path, journey, way. This common word is derived from the Hebrew verb darak (H1869), meaning to walk or to tread, from which the basic idea of this word comes: the path that is traveled. The word may refer to a physical path or road. However, this word is most often used metaphorically to refer to the pathways of one’s life, suggesting the pattern of life …  is this verse it refers to an obedient life to God.

[Testing] - A verb meaning to test, to try, to prove. Appearing nearly forty times in the Old Testament, this term often refers to God testing the faith and faithfulness of human beings and Israel. Although people were forbidden from putting God to the test, they often did so- Testing, however, does not always suggest tempting or enticing someone to sin, as when the Queen of Sheba tested Solomon’s wisdom and Daniel’s physical appearance was tested after a ten-day vegetarian diet. Finally, this term can refer to the testing of equipment, such as swords or armor. This verse it’s proving.

[Know] -A verb meaning to know, to learn, to perceive, to discern, to experience, to confess, to consider, to know people relationally, to know how, to be skillful, to be made known, to make oneself known, to make to know. The simple meaning, to know, is its most common translation out of the eight hundred or more uses. One of the primary uses means to know relationally and exponentially: it refers to knowing or not knowing persons.

[Heart] - A masculine noun meaning heart, mind, inner person. The primary usage of this word describes the entire disposition of the inner person that God can discern. The seat of all emotions, passions, moral character, conscience and courage.

[Keep] – A verb meaning to watch, to keep, to preserve, to guard, to be careful, to watch over, to watch carefully over, to be on one’s guard. The verb means to watch, to guard, to care for. A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: – beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).

Let us apply this past scripture to present day truth [practical application] so we can walk it out today:

Let us set the mark to be established for all those around us to acknowledge that the Lord God has delivered us from the old fleshly self. This mark will encourage others by the light of Christ in us. It is our love [obedience] that will be proved by our circumstances because God has found us worthy to be tested. It is by this proving that we learn to discern the relationship [Our condition] we have with Christ. We also must allow this relationship with the Spirit of God to mature us to a point that our emotions and passions are birthed from the presence of God- only in abiding in Christ is the seat of our conscience seared to the point we can boldly go before the throne of God … as this perfecting economy of Gods gets worked in us and as we function in a higher realm in the Kingdom, we will preserve and guard what He has imparted in us … why- because that the very source that gets us through our trails and circumstances’ and as we handle them in a way we are capable of doing- we give God Almighty glory, AMEN

Marty Lee Herrick

martyh@trm.org

Prov.27:17

We are enjoying this weather here in the Northwest at the New Life Program.  Time for spring cleaning at our domicile.  Cutting grass, weed whacking, weed pulling, police call – all of the fun stuff.

As we spruce up the campus here at New Life Square it reminds us that we are in a constant state of “spring clean up” concerning our recovery.  We begin to identify, uncover, and remove the weight of false beliefs, projected and survival lies, resentment, anger, unforgiveness, depression, hopelessness, despair, confusion, anxiety, self-pity, blaming, gossip, and religiosity (to name a few).

The power that drives us to pursue this and sustain it is derived from a faith in Jesus Christ.  Church, support groups, counselors, accountability partners, confidence, forgiveness, peace, joy, discipline – all the antidotes that Jesus uses in our transformation.  You see, spring cleaning can be difficult, but what a result!  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13

Blessings to you,

Les

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” – Mark 1:15

A Moment With Marlene;

Our name is very important to us isn’t it? At the sound of our name, our head turns, our attention is caught, our eyes search for the source of that sound and we listen…because someone just called OUR name!

 Sometimes we have cute little pet names, or nick-names that have been given to us over the years and just seem to stick. My nick name is “Mar” All my friends have called me Mar for years…until I came to work for the Mission almost 5 years ago. But go figure…..there was already a Mar who worked here, so how confusing was that!! To my new friends and co-workers, I am simply Marlene. Ok….that works!!! Better than Marleeenie-weenie-chilie-beanie Need I say more??

 Sometimes we give ourselves names without realizing it. “Disappointment,” “Not very Smart.” Unwanted,” “Failure,” or we might even go as far as stamping a big fat “L” on our forehead that says “Looser!” We may carry the shadow of this name with us into every room we enter, every conversation we have, and even into the darkness of those painfully lonely moments we endure.

 But that is not God’s name for you! He won’t ask you to ignore or deny your difficult past or limiting circumstances. But He will never define you by it!! Through the redemption of Jesus Christ, God’s name for you is:

•  “Chosen” (John 15:19
• “Mine” (Psalm 50-12)
• “Beloved” (Deuteronomy 33:12)
• “Sought After” (Isaiah 62:12)
• “Friend” (James 2:23)

 “You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.” Isaiah 62:2

 Remember a fisherman named Simon? He left his nets to follow Jesus. Yes he was one of the motley crew Jesus called His disciples. But one day Jesus looked at him and said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah…I tell you that you are Peter” Matt 16:17. That new name means ROCK. And along with that new name, Jesus gave Peter an important destiny in God’s kingdom. He gave him NEW LIFE!

 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

 Please take just one moment and ask yourself what labels or attitudes you have attached to yourself…or your life.  Are they de-valuing who you are? Are they limiting who you can be? Are you living under their shadow?

 Remember…You are who God says you are!

Celebrating New Life Together,

Marlene

I want to lay out something before you! I get so sick and tired of people saying they cannot be perfect … SO – with saying that and Im sure I have your attention now, I need you to do one thing before we move forward… K … now go get your faithful Websters Dictionary and THROW IT IN THE TRASH CAN!!! LOL- you will not need it to understand something written in Greek.

Matt 5:48

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as you’re heavenly Father is perfect. NASU G5046 we are to mirror this perfection…only through Him may this be accomplished.

This perfection is to have in view of Christ’s love of the body and how we are to have this same love towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the race we run; this is the goal set before us…and what is that race and goal? To be conformed into the image of the Son, that perfect pattern.

Phil 3:14-16 … 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect G5046, Not absolutely, but comparatively, with respect to other believers, that have less knowledge and experience have this attitude; to apprehend the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ; to be willing to suffer the loss of all things, to win Christ and if in anything you have a different attitude, that is those who have not gotten to a place to see the need of such an necessity of such efforts  or believe it could not be obtained  God will reveal that also to you; the Father will correct all erroneous opinions and revel the importance of an attitude such as Pauls. 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Let us be careful not to lose the ground we have obtained though Christ-let that perfected love be in a continual state of perfecting in Him. Let us be of one heart and one mind in a training ground to equip the body as a whole to press forward with power and authority of Him.

This word “perfect” in the Koine Greek has nothing to do with being spotless, sinnless, unblemished- thats Mr. Websters definition. 

In these verses we see a collectively thing being perfected in the body, mind and a standard that must be reached in perfection of Him and by Him.

Now this word “PERFECT“ as with a lot of words do not mean the same thing every time you read it in the Word. in this verses its G5046 Brought to its end, mature, complete, full, wanting in nothing. This word is Future tense- in other words its a process of pressing into Him that we are allowed and “PERFECTED” to become more like Him. Now there are a few more definitions for the word “PERFECT” in other areas of the Bible, but I will not get into that now …

So there are many verse [9 in NASB] that state we are or can be ”Perfect” … either Jesus and the Bible are liars or we can be “Perfect”- You keep telling yourself you cant do something … guess what? You will not be able to walk it out!

We serve a God that does not lie … so be strong and be encouraged to be “PERFECTED” [Brought to its end, mature, complete, full, wanting in nothing] in Christ, in other words made complete to a full mature man brought to the end of himself and wanting in nothing other then to be hidden in Christ. Amen

Marty Lee Herrick

martyh@trm.org

Prov.27:17