Wednesday, June 18, 2008

You CAN be free through and through (3)

10:16 PM by Christi Bowman

I stopped last night after talking a bit about how God QUICKLY convinced me that He loved me DEEPLY. What some people never get, God downloaded into me in seconds with one verse Genesis 1:2. I believe God supernaturally explained His deep deep love for me, to my spirit, quickly, on the first night of my Bible study, to get me to a place where I trusted Him completely so that He could tell me, on the second night, to NEVER drink again. I tell this story in more depth on my first blog post ever, The Bible IS Alive.

During my Bible study, on the second night, I came to Genesis 3:3 and it reads:

but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

I sat there stunned. I had NEVER noticed the words "touch it". Right there, with that very verse God told me to quit messing around with alcohol or I would die. I knew I wasn't supposed to "eat fruit from that tree", but God was telling me to STOP touching it. STOP dabbling in it. STOP drinking it every now and then. STOP desiring it or I would die. I wrote my first blog post on March 3, 2008. That night, I knew I would never drink again, but I hadn't yet comprehended what He had done for me...and when. He set me FREE. He literally took the desire to drink away from me. He had taken it away a long time ago. I just had to accept that. Jesus took on my drinking for me, because Jesus could conquer it...and He did...on the cross. Before there was time, He knew He would be taking on my drinking, and so many more addictions of mine...and so He hovered...and created anyway...If that's not love I don't know what is.

He hovered for each and every one of us before there was time (PS 139)...and by His wounds we are ALL healed (Is 53:5) right now...TODAY...all you have to do is believe it and accept it. It was finished a long time ago.

Looking back I can't believe how arrogant I ever was to believe that the Bible had nothing to offer me. God, through His Word (Jesus & the Bible), has changed my life and continues to do so EVERYDAY.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (MSG) God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it...no matter what.

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