Healing for the Surrendered - Lesson OPEN | Pastor Jeno Orchard CR

Healing for the Surrendered - 2 Kings 5:1-19   I'm having one of those weeks…But…I don't have to drink over it…   Step 1 – Unmanageability restrains us from getting ahead of God, renews us in our knowledge of God, and reminds us to trust in Jesus for our future and hope.   Step 2 – Power greater than you in praising God, in our incorruptible inheritance in heaven, in the sustaining power of God through trials, and in the forgiving/cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus Christ.   Step 3:  We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.  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. (Rom 12:1)   Often we ask; How do you turn your life and will over to Jesus Christ?  But tonight I want to ask why?  And probably more specifically, "Why have you forgotten?"   Psalm 23:1-4 (NKJV) "1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me…"   Recovery emerges from a shadowed valley.  It's called the "moment of clarity," "the epiphany," or "the point of surrender."    Regardless of the name, it is my opinion, that if you can not put your finger on the exact moment in time that you decide to believe, then there are more of the same valley's to come to remind us of a lesson we already learned.  My prayer is, "Lord let me learn this lesson…the first time."  Relapse is never pretty.   Let me tell you about my wife's story.   Critical illness is destroying her body.  She did feel alone.  Who else has known the pain like this?  She got to a point of surrender after she processed what was going on.   She felt: Denial (This can't be happening to me.) Anger (Why me, Lord?) Depression (There is no hope.) Bargaining (Lord, get me out of this and I'll do whatever You say.) Surrender (May God's will be done.)   At some point we all need to surrender to God's will for our lives.   What is it in your life?  High blood pressure? Heart disease? Kidney failure? Alzheimer? MS? Alcoholism?  Addiction?  Or…cancer?  Cholangiocarcinoma.   My wife's story of the valley of the shadow, from a husband's perspective.   Hand on chest…remember you surrendered your alcoholism to God and He healed you too.    Are you or were you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Is your surrender point etched in your mind?  I often tell newcomers to take a mental picture nail it to the inside of your forehead and never forget it.  You tend to forget as the time moves you away from the pain.  Time can cause long-timers to be come complacent, that is why newcomers are the lifeblood of CR.  Tonight's text has a bunch of recovery themes we will touch on, but pay attention to the end and see if you get the same feeling I do.   READ 2 Kings 5:1-19   The Books of Kings contain much historical material, yet the historical is not their primary purpose. What in our English Bibles pass for historical books are in the Hebrew Canon prophetic books, the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings being classed as the "Earlier Prophets."   The chief aim of these books is didactic, the imparting of great moral lessons backed up by well-known illustrations from the nation's history and from the lives of its heroes and leaders.