Growing up, my mom signed me up for every kind of lesson a girl could take in Shreveport, Louisiana. Thirteen years of piano lessons. Gymnastics. Ice skating. Dance lessons of all kinds. Baton twirling. Drama with Ms. Rosenbloom. White Gloves and Party Manners. Mr. Lynn’s Modeling Course. Tennis.

Would you believe none of them “stuck”? I was a quitter of epic proportions.

The only lessons I took that still benefit me today are the voice lessons I took under the coaching of my friend and youth choir director, Judy Felts. Thanks, Judy! (and mom)

No one likes a quitter, right? Quitting is for sissies.

Well, today, I want to spend some time in prayer for a different kind of quitter. I prefer to call them overcomers.

Folks who wear the shackles of addiction and are determined to break free.

Addiction has myriad faces.

Maybe it’s addiction to substances like nicotine, alcohol, or drugs.

Maybe it’s addiction to sensations like pornography, gambling, or sex outside of marriage.

Maybe it’s addiction to excess like overeating, overspending, or overdependence on human approval.

Whatever your issue, God desires for all of His dear ones to be overcomers…quitters if you will.

This prayer is for you and for me.

God is on our side. Today’s the day to quit anything that holds us back from being who He created us to be.

Lord,

It is for freedom that You set us free, but many of us choose to remain chained to addiction. (Galatians 5:1) Oh, how it must break Your heart to see Your children struggling against forces You’ve already overcome for us.

Like sparrows trapped inside an airport terminal, we fight and flail until we’re worn slap out, but we fail to lower ourselves so we can see the wide-open door of freedom.

Every moment we remain captive to addiction is a moment forever lost. An opportunity missed. A joy unrealized.

Compel us, Lord, to quit making excuses, masquerading as whole, and minimizing our sin.

No more excuses

Addicts are masters of procrastination. Today is never a good day to quit.

Next week will be better, once this stressful work project is over.

I can’t make a change right now; it’ll ruin my vacation.

My husband isn’t giving me what I need, and until he does, I will get it elsewhere.

How can I quit when I’m surrounded by addicts who don’t want to quit?

I don’t have to quit. I’m a sinner, but I’m saved by grace.

Lord, obliterate our excuses with the reality of truth.

What is the truth?

No more excuses, Lord. A life of sin = death. A life of obedience = life.

Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! When we offer ourselves to someone as obedient slaves, we are slaves of the one we obey—whether we are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness.

Thanks to You, Lord, though we are slaves to sin, we can be set free from sin and become slaves to righteousness. Just as we used to offer ourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, right this instant, we can choose to offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.

What benefit do we reap from the things we are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But as soon as we are set free from sin and become slaves of God, the benefit we reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6)

I got to scratch Dave Hunter’s back today. He was in a wheelchair, but he was “at home” at the Heart of Mesa. Mr. Dave has advanced Alzheimer’s as well as other health issues. Please pray for him and even more so for his precious bride, Betsy. Pray for peace. Pray for an absence of physical pain. Pray for prepared hearts for what is to come.

Mr. Dave’s precious face should be the image next to the definition of “humble servant.”

Quietly, he spearheaded the Upward Basketball program that transitioned into a long-term ministry to Native Americans. With no hoopla, he helped start a ministry to day laborers called Porque Tuve Hambre. Peanut butter sandwiches, chips, and water bottles wrapped in the love of Christ were delivered to hundreds of day laborers waiting for work on the streets of Mesa, Arizona.

Last week, we celebrated the ninth anniversary of our Hispanic congregation, Corazon de Mesa. Dave’s hand print can be found in the foundation of that ministry due to his love for our Hispanic community.

Dave spent most of his life loving Jesus and loving “the least of these.” Now, it’s our turn to love on him.

After a rousing time of worship, Pastor Gary took us to Psalm 10, an anonymous psalm that many theologians attribute to David.

Have you ever asked a question to which you already know the answer? Or maybe it’s one of those questions that has no answer. Sometimes, it just helps to get the question out there.

When Psalm 10 was written, the psalmist was having one of those kind of days. He had questions. He had frustrations. He had complaints.

See if his mindset is familiar to you.

 

Why, LORD, do you stand far off?
 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims; 
like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless

Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.

In the midst of an evil world, the psalmist blurted out his questions.

Why do You stand far off, Lord?

Why do You hide when times are tough?

Why do the wicked get away with their disrespect of You?

Why don’t you do something, Lord! Are You going to let them get away with their actions?

Just in case God hadn’t already noticed, the psalmist “educates” Him about what was up.

Look at how the godless behave, God!

The godless parade their evil around for all to see. No shame. No attempt to hide it. Why should they bother to hide when evil is rewarded in this backward society?

In their pride, they feel no need to “frequent” Your presence. They have no idea how destitute they are without You.

They consider Your commands to be rules made to be broken, and they don’t think You’ll do a thing about it.

In their thoughts, there is no room for God.

No room for God. This point stomped on my toes. Non-believers aren’t the only ones guilty of this one. I’m guilty. Some days, I get so bogged down in “life” that Christ doesn’t cross my mind all day long. Oh, Lord, please forgive me for forgetting You when You are everything.

They crush their victims causing their collapse and downfall.

God, I know You will do something.

You see, God. You don’t miss a thing.

You hold this world in Your hands.

You are the helper and defender of Your people.

Your ears are pricked to our cries for refuge from the wickedness..

You lift us up, giving us strength to stand strong with immovable spirits.

One day, time will be up and the godless will get their wish…an eternity without God.

What they consider to be God’s apathy over their evil is really His compassion. He desires for none to die in their sin.

But He is a God of justice. One day, He will call us to account for how we lived our lives.

On that day, there are no more second chances. Only those who depend on Christ’s sacrifice to get them there will make it to heaven.

The rest will spend eternity in hell. Yes, hell. That ugly word people like to believe is a fictional place.

Hell is a real place…a place of torment. A godless place for godless people.

If you are reading this post and you have never given your heart over to God, please don’t delay any longer!

The ONLY WAY to go to heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can’t get there by clocking public service hours or even church attendance hours.

You can’t get there by being mostly good with just a few quirky personality traits.

None of us can get there by being good because none of us are good! Nothing short of perfection is worthy of heaven. As good as you may think you are, I’m sure you would never claim to be perfect.

The older I get, the more I am assaulted by my own imperfection. Without the perfect covering of Jesus Christ, I’d be hell-bound.

Only Jesus, people. Only Jesus can earn us a spot in heaven. He already reserved our spots by climbing up on that cross and dying for our sins.

When I was 13, I confirmed my reservation. I said, “Yes!” to Christ’s invitation.

If you have never said “Yes,” why not right now? Don’t go another moment without the purposeful presence of Christ in your life!

Today can be Your new day!

Make room for God in your heart today.

Here’s my brother, Paul’s, testimony of what Christ has done in his life.