Roadblock to Recovery, Help, Growth, & a Better Life: Denial

One of my children has become an expert at not taking personal responsibility and not admitting when a personal wrong has been done. Often, when confronted with such inquiries and accusations, this child immediately has a response that points blame elsewhere or declares nothing wrong happened, though the truth is this child was personally responsible for something wrong that took place. This is denial.

When I was a kid, I remember sometimes being the “not me” kid or the ‘I didn’t do that” kid when in fact it was me and I did do that at times. I lied in such situations probably to avoid getting into trouble. This was a form of denial.

The problem of denial is that it’s not just a kid thing or a river flowing in Egypt. Denial is something all of us need to be keenly aware of in our own personal lives because it’s a roadblock to better things like being a better person. 

What if you or I are using denial as some sort of self-protecting defensive mechanism when confronted, or spiritually convicted, about the truth, the reality, regarding something in our personal lives? Is denial a mask I am wearing to suppress or ignore a real issue in my life, to possibly avoid being open, honest, and found out by others?

Denial is not being truthful with yourself, God, and others that there is something wrong in your life. There is something broken. There is something messed up and so you don’t admit there is an issue, a hurt, a habit, and/or a hang-up that is keeping you from being all that God wants you to be. Denial is a false system of personal beliefs that don’t jive with the truth. Denial extends your issues and multiples them.

Can you think of some people in the Holy Bible who were in denial?

How about Adam and Eve (Gen. 3)? God told them not to eat of a certain tree and they disobeyed God after being deceived and tempted to do so by the Satan-influenced serpent. Eve ate it first and then Adam. God confronted them and Adam blamed God and Eve and then Eve blamed the serpent. This is an example of denial.

How about many of the Pharisees in the days of Jesus? It is written (i.e. Matt. 23:2-3, 27-28) that they were hypocrites who knew about scriptural truth and would teach/preach it to others, but would not live it out personally. They appeared righteous on the outside but they were in fact like tombs of dead bones on the inside.

How about King David (2 Sam. 12). He committed adultery with a married woman, Bathsheba, and ordered her husband to go to the front lines in battle which led to the man’s death. God’s prophet, Nathan, came to David and rebuked him for these sins and spoke of divine consequences. David was living in denial, but praise God, after this intervention he confessed and repented.

Denial is like being in a small cramped room with a full grown wild elephant and believing/stating that the elephant is not present or not an issue. Denial is like drinking alcohol regularly to the degree that such behavior is destroying your relationships and eating away at your employability but yet you tell yourself and others that you don’t have a drinking problem. Denial is like thinking it’s okay if I lust about others just in my mind or from looking at porn because this won’t hurt anyone else. Denial is like wearing a t-shirt to church that says, everything is fine, but you, those who live with you, and God know otherwise.

Denial often overlaps with self-deception and deceiving others. The Devil is known as the great deceiver (Rev. 12:9) but we know a thing or two about it as well, don’t we?

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, “The easiest person to deceive is one's own self.”

Erwin W. Lutzer, “We are experts at deceiving others and ourselves too!”

Note: Quotes above from Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 ESV

For years as an adolescent I compared my anger to another specific person’s anger and I would think to myself that he had a big temper problem. I felt like I never acted out like he did in anger so I don’t have any anger issues. But the truth is, I’ve had several sinful anger episodes in my life. I was in fist fights when I was a kid and adolescent. I’ve been mad and aggressive at times when I was very frustrated or felt threatened. As a parent, I’ve yelled at and tried to intimidate my sons in my anger before. In years past, I was in personal denial about anger in my life. I thought, “I’ve seen others really lose their temper and escalate in rage. That’s not me. They have a problem. I don’t.” That was denial in my life! And if I kept wearing a mask of denial and self-deception that there was no anger issue to address in my life how would I ever get some help and truly change for the better?

Have you ever worn some sort of mask of denial, thinking to yourself you have no issues in your life, telling others you are fine, wanting others to think you are fine but you are not really because there truly are issues in your life? Have you ever been in denial that someone close to you doesn’t really have a problem when in fact they do have a problem?

There is a living hope for those who trust Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord and live according to God’s Word for His people today.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

Denial a key roadblock to personal recovery, receiving help, and growing as the person God desires you to be. This is why Lesson #1 in Celebrate Recovery is about Denial. In order to really have the better life that God wants you and I to have we must acknowledge and move past this denial roadblock in our life before real progress occurs.

If you are struggling with denial, or any hurts, habits, or hang-ups, then give your life fully to Jesus Christ and expect Him to intervene and minister to you through His Word, His people, and circumstances to guide you on the right path. You and I need to take personal responsibility in this spiritual growth/recovery journey and God will help us and bless us and others through us greatly when we do.

                               

John Baker wrote (from Celebrate Recovery Leader’s Guide), “Walking out of denial is not easy. Taking off that mask is hard. Everything about you shouts, “Don’t do it! It’s not safe!” But it is safe.”

It is safe with God and the right and good thing to do. It can also be safe by opening up with a trusted friend or group about the true issues in your life. It can be safe in a ministry like Celebrate Recovery which seeks to promote a safe and confidential environment for open sharing.

What’s holding you back in denial? Do you fear others finding out about your issues? Are you afraid of your past or your future? Are you afraid to change in the present? Are you avoiding personal responsibility? Are you trying to avoid potential consequences?

God is good and He has a plan for His people that is part of His overall plan to work things out according to His good purposes. He wants you to experience joy and peace and comfort from Him. He wants His redeemed to experience the abundant life as well as eternal life in Christ.

Personal denial is a roadblock to God’s good plans for you. Denial keeps you stuck in issues instead of growing in freedom according to God’s gracious will.

John Baker wrote (from Celebrate Recovery Leader’s Guide), “Step out of your denial so you can step into Jesus’ unconditional love and grace and begin your healing journey of recovery.”

..and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 ESV

For more information about stepping out of your denial, check out a ministry like Celebrate Recovery.

What do you think about what I’ve written here about denial being a key roadblock to recovery, help, growth, and a better life?

Mike

Struggling with Addiction? There’s Hope in Christ!

Here are my notes from a recent podcast I contributed to about addiction and the hope one has in Christ through His Word and with the help of His people. Listen at http://liftyourvoice.podomatic.com/entry/2015-03-02T19_54_07-08_00

Hello, I’m Mike, a grateful redeemed Christ-follower and I’m recovering from a former addiction to smokeless tobacco and sexual lust when I was an adolescent and young adult and I continue to struggle from time to time with various issues like perfectionism, controlling behaviors, and anger. Basically, I’m a mess without the regular intervention of Jesus Christ, His Word, and His people in my life to help me be the person of God He wants me to be.

We all have broken areas in our lives. No one has it all together. Everyone has been hurt by others, we’ve hurt ourselves, and we’ve hurt others. These things can result in some sort of hurt, hang-up, or habit that prevents us from being all that God wants us to be.

When I was nine years old I received Christ as my Savior and I’ve been a Christ-follower for about forty years but it was a very up and down spiritual journey in my adolescent years.

As a teen, God blessed me with a powerful youth ministry experience related to church but away from church I engaged in a lot of foolish immoral behaviors. It was during those years that I developed an addiction to lust and to smokeless tobacco. I also knew someone close to me who struggled with drug abuse and following a suicide attempt was placed in a drug program. There were also some alcoholics in our family tree. I praise God that I was never hooked on drugs and alcohol but I know I am vulnerable to getting hooked on those substances. I was certainly hooked on dip/chewing tobacco and lust which were bad habits I could not stop on my own in the flesh. I needed help beyond myself, especially God’s help.

At around twenty years of age, I was spiritually convicted to be more surrendered to Christ which led to a more God-honoring set of friends, improved behaviors, and leadership involvement in the church’s youth ministry. I wanted to help younger people avoid the foolish immoral activities I engaged in during my teen years.

It was during this timeframe that I zeroed in on a computer programming career and volunteer youth ministry on the side and God blessed greatly on that path. I backslid a little bit in my twenties regarding drinking alcohol and lustful behaviors but God redirected me on the right path and I stepped up with my personal responsibility as a Christ-follower to be more consistently God-honoring with my life.

I remember with smokeless tobacco I could never seem to stop for more than a few months until one day I cried out to God in prayer to take away the craving and help me lead the girl, I loved at the time, to Him as Savior and about thirty minutes later we were on our knees and she received Christ. And for the past twenty years or so I no longer have the craving to use smokeless tobacco. God got my attention with an answered prayer and I stepped up with consistent self-control abstaining from tobacco and He removed the craving.

My fairly consistent victory in Christ over lust was more of a tapering off journey of me engaging in more holy thinking and behavior and less and less worldly carnal thinking and behavior. Prayer, Bible application, Christian community, accountability, serving the Lord, and getting married to a godly woman has helped greatly with experiencing more consistently victory over temptation to lust.

God has blessed with me a wife and we have four children. I’ve been a pastor for 14 years and I was involved in lay ministry for years before that. I’m passionate about helping people know Christ and become more like Christ and help others in the same way.

And in such ministry, we have to address various hurts, hang-ups, and habits that prevent a person from being all that God wants them to be.

An example of a negative habit that gets in the way of God’s will for our life is addiction.

When I use the word “addiction” I’m referring to a negative reoccurring action or thought that can be pleasurable at first but interferes with normal life situations and responsibilities like relationships, employment, and health. Such addictions include compulsive behaviors, lack of self-control, and a sense that one can’t live without the addiction whether they acknowledge the word “addiction” or the truth about their “addiction” or not.

People can be addicted to all sorts of things like drugs, alcohol, nicotine, gambling, lustful thoughts, sexual activity, spending, caffeine, over-eating, and over-working.

I’ve known people who are addicted to drinking soda daily. They will not stop drinking it because that drink and their behavior have their hooks in that person as a habit that runs deep. A daily soda may seem like small potatoes but it can become unhealthy and may point to some spiritual issues, biblically. A more obvious problem addiction is shooting heroin into your veins which is illegal, unhealthy, very difficult to stop, and could kill you.

There are various reasons why people fall into addictions. Perhaps there is some genetic vulnerability due to addicts in the family, or influence from people close to you, or poor emotional processing and not coping with stress well, escapism, curiosity, medical use, and others.

Addictions often snowball and get worse over time. They should be acknowledged and taken seriously.

There can certainly be a complexity to addictions, like how it came about and whether it is physical, psychological and/or a moral issue. I usually approach it holistically; that is to say that we have thoughts, emotional processing of feelings, physical conditions and behaviors, and a spiritual aspect to our lives.

Of course, being a Christ-follower and believer in God’s holy Word, I believe what matters most is a person’s relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, so the spiritual component when addressing addiction is most important in my approach to helping someone, but I understand that there are other aspects of the human life and experience to address.

Depending on the individual’s addiction and circumstances they may need medical and law enforcement intervention and removal from what they are addicted to. Sooner rather than later, I want to know who that person thinks Jesus Christ is and do they know Christ as their Savior or not because I believe true freedom from sin bondage, true healing from addictions, and true hope in this life and for eternal life with our Holy Creator God is only found in Jesus Christ.

I want to write briefly about a model (Overcoming Temptation to Sin) I use personally and help others with one on one when it comes to reoccurring sin habits. And then I will summarize a group ministry approach (Celebrate Recovery) that can help as well.

Sin is anything that goes against the character and commanding will of God. Temptation is not sin but can lead to sin. Not only does everyone have experience sinning, we also have lots of experience being tempted to sin.

Check out this early occurrence of the Holy Bible of the word ‘sin.’ God was speaking to Cain.

Genesis 4:7 NLT You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Here are three principles to heed from this verse:

First, acknowledge and learn more about the temptation to sin conflict. There is a real spiritual war going on and we continue to be tempted to sin.

Secondly, discern between right and wrong. Our greatest resource and standard for such discernment is God’s Word.

Third, master your temptations to sin. The master of all masters, the master over all, is Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:18, 1 Tim. 6:15). The key to our mastering temptation is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ, trusting Him as Savior and Lord, and living for the glory of God based on God’s Holy Word for His people today.

Here are ten biblical principles to help you overcome temptation to sin and overcome spiritual enemies of God:

1) Trust God; He’s Powerful and He’s faithful to His people.

2) Pray for victory over your temptation.

3) Keep God's Word close to your heart. 

4) Christ followers are to stand strong in the Lord and put on the full armor of God.

5) Holistically submit yourself to godliness.

6) Abstain, resist, and flee from what’s wrong in the eyes of God. Don’t just say “no” to temptation to sin, say “yes” to holiness and godliness in Christ.

7) Be an overcomer by faith in Christ. 

8) Be an overcomer with good.

9) Walk the way of the wise and understand the Lord’s will.

10) Do all to the glory of God.

Think of this spiritual war in terms of your offense and defense. The offense includes preparing for battle, preparing for the attacks of the enemies of God, building on the foundation of Christ day to day with increased faith in Him, learning and living out biblical principles individually and in Christian community, and honoring the Lord. I call this The Holy Foundation Stage. This is how we are to live daily according to God’s Word. Then there is the defense that includes responding to specific temptations by crying out to Christ and praying some ‘go to’ prayers and Bible verses, and reaching out to mature Christ followers for help. I call this The Holy Fighting Stage. Consistently overcoming temptation must include both of these stages.

God provides and promises His people all kinds of help in the battle with temptation and sin.  

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Pet. 1:3-4 ESV

If a person is willing to trust Christ and apply these biblical principles, I believe they will begin to experience more and more victory over the temptation to sin, and healing and freedom from a struggle like addiction. You can read this link for the longer version of the above principles, which includes several Bible verses (http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/10/overcoming-temptation.html).

For some people, I believe they can receive help with their addiction by participating in a group program or ministry. Celebrate Recovery (CR) is one such ministry. I’ll summarize it for you.

CR began two decades ago in a CA church and is now global, being used in 20,000+ churches and other locations. At the core of the CR ministry is Jesus Christ, His Word, the Christian 12 steps for recovery, 8 recovery principles based on the Beatitudes, and a community of Christ-followers who help CR participants through recovery and spiritual growth in Christ. And it has worked and continues to work in many lives; to the glory of God.

CR is designed to provide a safe place to find freedom and healing, in Christ, from life’s hurts, hang-ups, and negative habits including addiction and any other issue that keeps people from being all that God wants them to be. There is a celebration of God’s healing power through the recovery process which is based on the power of Christ through God’s Word and His people. The entry level to a weekly CR ministry has a large co-ed group in the first hour that includes worship, teaching and/or a testimony of life change in Christ, and some fellowship. Then participants have the opportunity to open up in a same-gender small group setting and possibly in one-one-one coaching/accountability relationships.

Here are a couple of the recovery steps, principles, and verses used in CR:

Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. That our lives had become unmanageable.

Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Principle 2 Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Step 3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Principle 5 Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires, Matthew 5:6a

You can see all the CR steps, principles, and their corresponding verses at http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2015/02/celebrate-recovery-8-principles-12-steps.html

One key component of CR is the testimony. People who have been experiencing recovery and spiritual growth in Christ, people who have been healed of hurt, hang-ups, and/or addictive habits share their testimony to the participants of CR. Praise God! This can be a powerful ministry tool for the person sharing, their own healing journey, and to impact people’s hearts who are also on a journey of recovery or need to be. There is hope in Christ!

You can go to CelebrateRecovery.com to find out more about this ministry and to find a CR location near you.

Regardless of the addiction, hurt, hang-up, or habit in your life or loved one’s life there is hope in Jesus Christ!

God bless you and your loved ones.

What are your thoughts on Jesus Christ, His Word, and His redeemed helping people experience healing and freedom from addiction?

Mike

Note: the above notes are not intended to be a comprehensive look into the issue of addiction or give the impression that helping someone struggling with addiction is a simple quick process. My goal was to share a little bit about addiction and point to the hope that exists in Jesus Christ working through His Word and working in and through His people. 

Celebrate Recovery 8 Principles & 12 Steps

8 Principles & 12 Steps

1) Realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.

Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor, Matthew 5:3a

Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. That our lives had become unmanageable.

Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

2) Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.

Happy are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Step 2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

3) Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

Happy are the meek, Matthew 5:5a

Step 3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

4) Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

Happy are the pure in heart, Matthew 5:8a

Step 4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

Step 5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.

James 5:16a Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

5) Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires, Matthew 5:6a

Step 6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Step 7. We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

6) Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.

Happy are the merciful, .. Happy are the peacemakers, Matthew 5:7a, 9a

Step 8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Step 9. We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

7) Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.

Step 10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Step 11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.

Colossians 3:16a Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

8) Yield myself to be used by God to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.

Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires. Matthew 5:10a

Step 12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs.

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Note: Matthew 5 verses above are based on TEV & NIV; Step Bible verses are NIV

Thanking God for Everything

We are to thank God even in difficult times.

Matthew Henry, a famous Bible Scholar of 250 years ago was robbed one day of all his money he had in the world. He wrote this in his diary afterwards, “What reason have I to be thankful to God, that having travelled so much, yet I was never robbed before now.” "Life of the Rev. Matthew Henry", in Christian Biography (1799), p.66

Helen Keller, a blind and deaf Christian, wrote, “I thank God for my handicaps. Through them I have found myself, my work and my God.” The Preacher’s Commentary: Luke; Bruce Larson; Thomas Nelson Publishers

Those are examples of having an God-honoring attitude of gratitude through a difficult experience.

At a minimum level of thanking God we are to do so out of obligation to thank Him as our Creator and the source of blessings.

Ps. 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Heb. 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

God is worthy and deserving of our praise and thanksgiving.

As we mature in thanking God we thank Him regardless of our circumstances.

1 Thess. 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

At this level, in every situation, we can always find something to be thankful for. We can look away from what is negative or wrong and focus on what’s right and give thanks. When the glass is half empty remember to be thankful for the half full part.

At our most mature level of thanking God we can thank Him for everything.

Ephesians 5:18b, 20 ..be filled with the Spirit, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

At this level we are being thankful to God in all things. This is when you trust God knowing that God knows best and He cares about you, loves you, and ultimately provides for His people. What seems bad to you, you still thank God for it, even things you would not chose for yourself to experience like a health crisis, great sorrow, or huge need. We acknowledge to God that this is the very thing right now He is using according to His will even if we don’t understand it all but we know He loves His redeemed and we trust Him and thank Him even for this thing that seems so negative.

We are to have an ongoing attitude of gratitude that honors God. I want to point out three biblical principles related to gratitude based on an encounter Jesus had with ten lepers.

Luke 17:11-14 ESV On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance
¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

1) Jesus is Merciful and Gracious to People.  

Some lepers noticed Jesus walking by and they cried out to Him for mercy, for compassion toward them, for they were in great need. Jesus saw them and told them to go get checked out by the priests. It was the task of the Jewish Priests to examine people to determine whether they were lepers or not. Infected people were isolated and could not return to normal society unless declared cleansed.

Jesus told these men to go show themselves to the priest and on the way they were healed. I’m not sure about the faith of all these lepers (the faith of one of them is highlighted by Jesus later in this passage) but they did what Jesus told them to do. When they started in the direction of the priests they were physically healed of their skin disease. Wow! They each received an incredible grace gift from God. The healing was not something earned or paid for. Jesus healed them according to His grace.

Luke 17:15-16 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

One of the ten healed lepers was pumped up with genuine gratitude toward God, toward Jesus. And notice this man’s humility, returning back to and presenting himself at the feet of Jesus. And this man was a Samaritan, as well. Jews and Samaritans mostly hated each other, yet this foreigner was the one who thanked Jesus, a Jew, in person.

Many people don’t realize that God’s common grace is blessing everyone; things like sunshine, gravity, oxygen, food supplies, a beating heart, etc…And then there are moments like in this passage, when God extends His special grace. We have much to thank God about on a regular basis and we don’t need to wait for some sort of sensational miracle to take place to do so but when such a thing does occur we should give some serious shout out praise and thanks to the Lord God Almighty!

Only when we acknowledge God as the merciful and gracious provider of blessings in our lives, do we begin to comprehend our need for God in a more personal way and begin to express a greater living faith in Him and deeper gratitude toward Him.

Paul basically wrote in Romans 1 that God created the universe and within the heart of every human is a basic awareness of the reality of God and apart from thankfulness awareness of God will be suppressed. In vs21, Paul wrote….they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

At the heart of those who reject God is a resolute unwillingness to thank Him. May we not reject God and may we not be unthankful to God. We have so much to thank God for. Jesus is merciful and gracious to people.

2) Jesus Notices Ingratitude

Luke 17:17-18 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

These questions were rhetorical. Jesus knew the answers and He didn’t like the truth that nine of the ten healed men showed no gratitude toward Him. That was outrageous considering Jesus just gave them amazing grace, dramatic healing.

The life of a leper back then was horrible. These lepers were outcasts with painful disease in which the Bible implies was incurable in Bible times without a miracle. You would have expected all ten men to run to Jesus and thank Him for a fresh new start to life, but only one did and he was not even a Jew.

“How grateful the men should have been for the providence of God that brought Jesus into their area, for the love that caused Him to pay attention to them and their need, and for the grace and power of God that brought about their healing.” Warren Wiersbe

The Bible Exposition Commentary; New Testament, Volume 1, Matthew-Galatians; Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook Publ., p244

These healed men should have jumped up and down and formed an impromptu men’s chorus and sung some Psalms of thanksgiving and praise.

Thanklessness is all too common among people. Ingratitude is the way of sin, the way of the world, but God-honoring gratitude is the way of God’s people.

Before we look down on these ungrateful healed lepers, what about our attitude of gratitude toward God? How often do we take our blessings for granted and fail to thank the Lord? Too often we are content to enjoy the gift but we forget the Giver. We are quick to pray for help but slow to praise the Helper. Let’s not be ungrateful. Let’s thank the Lord.

Jesus is merciful and gracious to people.  Jesus notices ingratitude. And

3) Christ-centered Gratitude Goes Well with Saving Faith

Something additional happened to this one grateful healed man.

Luke 17:19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

All ten lepers were physically healed but only the one who returned to thank Christ had Jesus say “your faith has made you well.” The literal translation here in the Greek is “your faith has saved you.”

He was made well in a deeper way, I believe, a spiritual way. There is more going on here with this man than physical healing. The other nine were declared clean physically by the priest, no doubt, but this one grateful man was declared saved by the Son of God. I don’t believe this was saved from just leprosy suffering or living a shorter life because of leprosy, but saved spiritually.

While it is wonderful to experience the miracle of physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience the miracle of spiritual healing in Christ. We don’t have all the details in the Bible text, but I believe this grateful man returned to Jesus not just viewing Jesus as the Master physical healer, but also the Master of all Masters, the Master of his salvation, the man’s needed Savior. And so, I think it is worthy to notice here the connection between Christ-centered gratitude and saving faith. Thanking Christ draws us to Him and His people are to thank Him often. Amen!

Having a God-honoring attitude of gratitude is a personal decision you and I have to make moment to moment in life.

Ps. 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Giving thanks to God is not blind gratitude. There is always much to be thankful for rooted in who He is and what He does. An attitude of gratitude is a life-changing decision. Notice the “Oh” at the beginning of Ps 107:1; something important is to follow. There is passion here. Give thanks to the Lord! Amen!

This grateful healed leper in Luke 17 came back praising God and yet he still had enormous problems. He had been an outcast and he had to integrate back into society, relationships, and routines. He is praising God even in the midst of his unsolved problems. Each of us likely has a problem right now. Let’s think about how we can praise God in that present problem.

Instead of complaining about and worrying about our problems, let’s focus, rather, on the belief that God is bigger than the problem and is present right now in the middle of this difficult thing we’re caught up in. Say, “God, I praise You and thank You. You are bigger than the struggle I’m going through.”

Here are three questions to ask ourselves, to help us develop an attitude of gratitude that is God-honoring.

1) Am I a grateful person, regardless of my circumstances and feelings?

2) Am I seeing the blessings of gratitude in my life? These blessings can be the acknowledgement of and experience of real joy, peace, and contentment in Christ.

3) Am I choosing gratitude over ingratitude and complaining?

Note: I adapted these questions and the three levels of gratitude at the top of the blog from “Lord, Change My Attitude Before It’s Too Late,” James MacDonald; Moody Publ.; Chp2

Let’s ask ourselves these questions now, moment to moment, and day by day. Let’s learn from God’s Word about who God is and what God has done, is doing, and will do and let’s thank Him and praise Him.  Try journaling what you are thanking God for.  Recognize God’s sovereignty in your life and give Him thanks in all circumstances for everything. This is biblical. This is God’s will. This is for the glory of God. Let’s cultivate an attitude of gratitude toward God. It will open our hearts to further blessings and it glorifies and pleases God.

On my office wall is a framed sign that includes the phrase “an attitude of gratitude.” Some Christian friends (the Salvatores) of our family heard me use this phrase so often at church that they thought of me when they came across this sign and wanted me to have it. It is a reminder, to me and others who see it, of the importance of having an attitude of gratitude. What do you have to remind you to have an attitude of gratitude?

And oh, by the way, the greatest thing to be thankful for is salvation in Christ. If you are reading this and you have never given your life over to Christ, there is great news and hope: God loves you with amazing love. He died for your sins to pay the penalty of God’s wrath for your sins to bring you to God. Praise God, the Son of God rose in victory over sin and death and wants you to be in relationship with God now and forever.

Respond to God now from your heart with faith upon Jesus. Give your life over to Jesus as your Savior and keep asking Him daily to help you live for Him as the Lord of your life according to Holy Scripture. If you have never made this life commitment to Christ, then why not right now, right where you are, within your heart, respond to God’s call to you to give your life over to Jesus Christ and live for His glory. Thanks be to God for His amazing gift of salvation in Christ. Here's a summary of the great news of Jesus: http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

And remember, let’s thank God for everything, in Christ, and let’s have an ongoing God-honoring attitude of gratitude.  

What are your thoughts about thanking God for everything and having a consistent God-honoring attitude of gratitude.

Mike