So the book shared a space on my shelf along beside John Eldredge's book entitled, "Wild at Heart, Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul." (I did read that one several years ago, and it was great!)
Chris also asked me if he could keep a tiny Bible of mine and of course I said yes. He tucked it into the day-planner that I gave him.
I read Eldredge's book too. Maybe Chris reading the Prodical Son may help (Luke 15.19) since it shows no matter how far we fall, God still loves us and is overjoyed when we come back to him.
I think a mother's prayer carries a lot of spiritual authority and Psalm 91 is really a good bunch of promises to stand on. I will pray for Chris , thanks for sharing your situation. God bless Chris and your family.
Desperate for Jesus
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Selah,
I am so sorry to hear about your son Chris. I don't know if he has a relationship with the Lord or not, but I am thankful that we serve a God who pursues both the lost and the wandering. I pray that Chris will recognize that he is helpless to find the answer within himself, and that God is calling him to rest in His grace. I praise God that no matter what Chris thinks of himself, God sees him as precious. So precious, that he was willing to endure the cross to provide a way. I pray that the powers and principalities that seek to devour him be met with defeat and frustration in the name of Jesus Christ.
I am not sure if this will help or not, but there is a website that I love to visit that tells the stories of those who have been saved by the grace of God in a time of despair. Here are links to a few that might be relevant:
http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/David_McKenna/
http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Brian_Welch/
http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Josh_Hamilton/
I pray that the Holy Spirit meets you mightily in this time of sorrow.
I am so sorry to hear about your son Chris. I don't know if he has a relationship with the Lord or not, but I am thankful that we serve a God who pursues both the lost and the wandering. I pray that Chris will recognize that he is helpless to find the answer within himself, and that God is calling him to rest in His grace. I praise God that no matter what Chris thinks of himself, God sees him as precious. So precious, that he was willing to endure the cross to provide a way. I pray that the powers and principalities that seek to devour him be met with defeat and frustration in the name of Jesus Christ.
I am not sure if this will help or not, but there is a website that I love to visit that tells the stories of those who have been saved by the grace of God in a time of despair. Here are links to a few that might be relevant:
http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/David_McKenna/
http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Brian_Welch/
http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Josh_Hamilton/
I pray that the Holy Spirit meets you mightily in this time of sorrow.
Re: Desperate for Jesus
deleted by Selah
Last edited by selah on Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jesus said, "I in them and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." John 17:23
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Selah,
God bless you. I have quite a web of prayer warriors on the internet who are praying for you, your son, and your life situation. It's great you've been in touch with Teen Challenge: it's probably the best Christian treatment program ever. I pray Chris will come home real soon and perhaps enroll in TC. My cousin almost went into the TC program. He didn't quite make it, but got sobered up anyway - by the grace of God.
May God's Grace abide with you and upon Chris even now.
God bless you. I have quite a web of prayer warriors on the internet who are praying for you, your son, and your life situation. It's great you've been in touch with Teen Challenge: it's probably the best Christian treatment program ever. I pray Chris will come home real soon and perhaps enroll in TC. My cousin almost went into the TC program. He didn't quite make it, but got sobered up anyway - by the grace of God.
May God's Grace abide with you and upon Chris even now.
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Thank you Everyone, so very much...
Last edited by selah on Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jesus said, "I in them and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." John 17:23
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Thankk you sooooo much!RickC wrote:Selah,
I have quite a web of prayer warriors on the internet who are praying for you, your son, and your life situation.
Jesus said, "I in them and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." John 17:23
Re: Desperate for Jesus
John sent:
Thank you for caring to share this.
The dreams that Josh had were incredible. His grandmother's love and acceptance was too.
Thank you for caring to share this.
Jesus said, "I in them and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." John 17:23
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Dear Forum Fellowship friends and family,
They picked him up! They let me tell him about the detox center, and then his options for in or out-patient secular treatment, or long term faith-based in Teen Challenge. He's in jail all weekend until court Monday at 1 p.m. (unless someone places bail. I pray no one bails him out!) They are allowing me to bring a Bible for him to door #4. They will deliver it to him. No visitors. Praise God! I am fasting and praying until I hear my son's decision. I'm leaving now to deliver the Bible. Praise God!!! Praise His Holy Name!!! Thank you, Lord of my life!........
They picked him up! They let me tell him about the detox center, and then his options for in or out-patient secular treatment, or long term faith-based in Teen Challenge. He's in jail all weekend until court Monday at 1 p.m. (unless someone places bail. I pray no one bails him out!) They are allowing me to bring a Bible for him to door #4. They will deliver it to him. No visitors. Praise God! I am fasting and praying until I hear my son's decision. I'm leaving now to deliver the Bible. Praise God!!! Praise His Holy Name!!! Thank you, Lord of my life!........
Jesus said, "I in them and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." John 17:23
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Hello Selah,
Thank God Chris is safe! I've let my friends who have been praying for him know he is. Did Chris agree that he would go into some kind of treatment? Or is he deciding on that?
On Teen Challenge.
I would much more recommend it than secular programs. I'm a recovered alcoholic and did AA 12 step for about 18 years, in & out & in & out. At that time I wanted to believe in what they call a "higher power" - and did not want 'it' or 'Him' to be the God of the Bible. I was backslidden. But thank God, I finally got sober after reading (and believing) -
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
In AA and other secular programs they teach that alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual immorality, and so on, are "diseases you will have the rest of your life, even if you don't 'act out'." However, the Bible says these things are sin. When I saw what the Bible teaches and believed that God forgave me, set me apart, and washed me clean - I now say I am recovered (not "recovering") because it's true! I finally realized I do not have a disease, "And such WERE some of you." This set me free! The desire to drink disappeared when I took the Bible teaching over the world's (which had been 'ingrained' in me after so many years In & out of AA). Not only did I have a change in my entire thinking about drinking, I wanted to stop sinning in order to please God (cf. Romans 12:1-2).
So. I hope Chris can go to Teen Challenge (I'm not sure how expensive it is. Cost was one reason my cousin couldn't get in). If Chris decides to take secular treatment, there are Christian recovery groups, such as Celebrate Recovery, that are better than N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous). In them you can at least talk about Christ and the Bible. However, in my experience, most of these groups accept the "disease for life" model. I've asked about this in Christian meetings, mentioning 1 Cor 6:9-11, giving my testimony. No one put me down for what I said, but one time a person told me that while they respect my opinion, they have to go to AA "for my disease" as well as the Christian meetings. I didn't say anything in reply. But I definitely thought "You're not disagreeing with me - you're in disagreement with Saint Paul!"
I'm not completely against AA and the 12 steps. I mean, in some cases, it's the only kind of help people will accept. So it's better than nothing, and at least gets folks to thinking about their lives.
If Chris believes in the Bible or has any kind of confidence in it, I suggest that he would read and consider what 1 Cor 6:9-11 says. Had I not read and believed what Paul wrote, I might not be here right now.
Praise God and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Me and my friends will be praying for Chris, you, and your mother.
Keep us updated, please.
God bless you, Selah,
Rick
Thank God Chris is safe! I've let my friends who have been praying for him know he is. Did Chris agree that he would go into some kind of treatment? Or is he deciding on that?
On Teen Challenge.
I would much more recommend it than secular programs. I'm a recovered alcoholic and did AA 12 step for about 18 years, in & out & in & out. At that time I wanted to believe in what they call a "higher power" - and did not want 'it' or 'Him' to be the God of the Bible. I was backslidden. But thank God, I finally got sober after reading (and believing) -
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
In AA and other secular programs they teach that alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual immorality, and so on, are "diseases you will have the rest of your life, even if you don't 'act out'." However, the Bible says these things are sin. When I saw what the Bible teaches and believed that God forgave me, set me apart, and washed me clean - I now say I am recovered (not "recovering") because it's true! I finally realized I do not have a disease, "And such WERE some of you." This set me free! The desire to drink disappeared when I took the Bible teaching over the world's (which had been 'ingrained' in me after so many years In & out of AA). Not only did I have a change in my entire thinking about drinking, I wanted to stop sinning in order to please God (cf. Romans 12:1-2).
So. I hope Chris can go to Teen Challenge (I'm not sure how expensive it is. Cost was one reason my cousin couldn't get in). If Chris decides to take secular treatment, there are Christian recovery groups, such as Celebrate Recovery, that are better than N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous). In them you can at least talk about Christ and the Bible. However, in my experience, most of these groups accept the "disease for life" model. I've asked about this in Christian meetings, mentioning 1 Cor 6:9-11, giving my testimony. No one put me down for what I said, but one time a person told me that while they respect my opinion, they have to go to AA "for my disease" as well as the Christian meetings. I didn't say anything in reply. But I definitely thought "You're not disagreeing with me - you're in disagreement with Saint Paul!"
I'm not completely against AA and the 12 steps. I mean, in some cases, it's the only kind of help people will accept. So it's better than nothing, and at least gets folks to thinking about their lives.
If Chris believes in the Bible or has any kind of confidence in it, I suggest that he would read and consider what 1 Cor 6:9-11 says. Had I not read and believed what Paul wrote, I might not be here right now.
Praise God and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Me and my friends will be praying for Chris, you, and your mother.
Keep us updated, please.
God bless you, Selah,
Rick
Re: Desperate for Jesus
Selah,
I am so glad to hear that Chris is safe for right now, and that he knows he has options. I will be praying for him and for you.
I am so glad to hear that Chris is safe for right now, and that he knows he has options. I will be praying for him and for you.