“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” ~Isaiah 65:17

Recently while surfing through the channels on my TV, I came to an auction where they were selling cars. These cars were more valuable than the ones listed for sale in the want ads for various reasons. Although some were rarer than others, much of their value came from the fact that they had been “restored.” In human terms restoration means that they had been returned to their original showroom condition, the one that they were in when they came off the assembly line.

In working in an addiction recovery ministry, I often hear men say that they want to be who they were before they began their addiction. But experience has shown that God’s intention goes beyond our expectations. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Such is the way I have seen God work in my own life and in the lives of many others. The secular world will tell you that addicts and alcoholics have an incurable disease and all we can do is treat the symptoms. God says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). But what I have learned is that when God says new He means better than the original! The Scripture above states that the former things will not even be remembered.

When I first became sober and looked back at the train wreck that I had caused in my former life, all I could do was shudder. Today I don’t have to do that anymore. I am a new creation. I have a new identity. I am not who I once was before I began drinking. I am a child of the Most High God. We need to be conscious of the fact that when we become born again, old things have passed away… and all things (including us) have become new!

Lord, thank you that your idea of restoration far exceeds ours.

Written by Chaplain Jim Freed: Chaplain Freed is the Director of the Colony of Mercy, the residential addiction recovery program for men at America’s Keswick.

Today’s devotional was taken from our Real Victory for Real Life Volume II. Real Victory offers 365 Daily Meditations for Victorious Christian Living with daily Bible readings to take you through the Bible in a year! You can purchase Real Victory for Real Life Volume II on Amazon by clicking here

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 35; Proverbs 4

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: Fear is a self imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love. ~Rick Warren

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith ~Philippians 1:25 (NKJV)

“Who may worship in Your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? “ ~Psalm 15:1 (NLT)

I recently read something that a 5 to 1 ratio of organic honey (Does this mean there is a synthetic?) to Himalayan Pink salt will replenish the body of all 84 elements it needs to live. Just take a tablespoon of this concoction before you go to sleep and when you wake the next morning you can hit the ground running. So I went out and spent 5 dollars on 5 ounces on Himalayan Pink Salt…I think we have the honey in the cupboard? (Hope it ain’t synthetic or this may not work)

The results? Well I’ve have been grinding the salt on pizza and then noticing my wife roll her eyes at me over the salt. “5 dollars for salt, why?” she has asked. To which I reply that a majority of those elements that I’m missing are making my slice of sausage, mushroom, black olive, and spinach pizza taste pretty good. Not too sure about those health benefits but…ah who am I kidding? I’ve kinda compromised the integrity of that whole Himalayan Pink Salt with organic honey recipe, haven’t I?

So the following morning I got to wondering (which is something I do after I’ve done something dumb) isn’t this something we do in our everyday Christian walk? So since I’ve been paging through Chuck Swindoll’s book “Living Beyond The Daily Grind” as of late I thought I’d look and see what Chuck had to say on what I’ve done to the Himalayan Pink Salt with organic honey recipe. What I got was Psalm 15.

Both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson give the Psalm a nod in some fashion. Franklin calls this a “Gentlemen’s Psalm” while Jefferson says the Psalm is “The portrait of a good man by the most sublime of poets, for your imitation.” In both cases these founding fathers agree that this Psalm speaks to a man’s integrity and Swindoll spoke to me through a chapter on the grind of weakened integrity. As a matter of fact Swindoll wrote that, “It should come as no surprise to no one that ours is a day of weakened integrity.”

So for today we are gonna give a kinda “background” to this phenomenon titled Psalm 15. There are Psalms that David wrote that we can nail a reason behind (Psalm 51 for example) but all we can get with Psalm 15 is that David describes what a citizen of Zion looks like. But if we run this through the Cross like Swindoll does we can see a fulfillment in our unchanged eternal position in God’s eyes (Chuck says that last

diddy). There’s a lot things that happens when we give our hearts to Jesus and here’s the short list:

1. We become a child of God (John 1:12)

2. We are adopted into His family forever (Romans 8:14-17)

3. We are sealed and secured (Ephesians 1:13)

4. We are delivered from darkness into God’s love (Colossians 1:13)

5. We become priests (1Peter 2:9)

Like I said that’s just the short list and it’s so cool to hold close to our hearts. We get to have a temporal fellowship with God AND receive the privilege of living under the power of The Holy Spirit BUT we got a flip side to this IF we decide to dabble in just a little sin…to quote Swindoll, “He may choose to sin and walk under the energy of his own flesh and thus break this temporal fellowship that is his to claim. When he does, he chooses to reject God’s power and blessing and moves immediately out of the realm of fellowship into the realm of divine discipline.”

Now don’t get yourself too amiss this as there is a remedy to make sure your fellowship with God is not permanently broken and that is, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) When I am with you all again I will hopefully be able to cover those things that we should be doing within the framework of Psalm 15 after all if we keep letting things fade from us our integrity will and NOT if inevitably weakened and our testimony to Jesus goes with it. Many folks look for those rewards they believe they will receive when they get pull into heaven’s shore but for me it’s all about four words to hear, “Well done, Enter in”. Everything else is just stuff. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Graduate of The Colony of Mercy 11-2003 and serves on the Deacon Board at Trinity Alliance Church in Cologne NJ

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 34; Proverbs 3

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “It is the work of the Church to keep on repeating God’s message to each generation of men until it is either accepted or rejected by those who hear.” ~A.W. Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith ~Philippians 1:25 (NKJV)

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” ~Romans 1:17

What is the righteousness of God and how does it work in our practical life? I have to admit, from the time I was saved or regenerated in Christ, I have not always lived right or righteous, I practiced in life dominating sin, and did not bring any glory to God. I questioned, in a very depressed condition, am I believer? But God! In the midst of those dark moments, he made himself known.

The righteousness of God is not the perfect characteristics or flawless attributes that only ascribed to God’s uniqueness; but positional righteousness or right standing with our Creator. This only comes through faith in Jesus Christ, the righteousness that redeems us back to a place of perfect peace, loving harmonious relationship/fellowship with God. This is a miracle of God’s mercy displaying God’s grace towards Humanity. However, Peter says Repent and be baptized.

Repentance is an action, reaction, or response to the gospel. It is the awareness of a need to make necessary change or the turning the away from the current situations. It is the remorse or the hating of the life and sin that previously consumed our lives. It turns us away from a selfish, sinful life that has no value for kingdom business. Salvation is not fire insurance that only escapes believers from hell, but produces fruit that honors God. Is God pleased in the way we are handling His truth, His grace, His sacrificial cross experience?

I might sound a little legalistic, but faith that yields good fruit. The beautiful reality; it is the faith in God that produces that fruit. Faith and repentance work sequentially, and Jesus is not just our Savior, He is our Lord of our life.

Written by Juan Mendez:  Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 33; Proverbs 2

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: God has cast our confessed sins into the depths of the sea, and He’s even put a ‘No Fishing’ sign over the spot. ~Dwight L Moody

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith ~Philippians 1:25 (NKJV)

Webster’s definition of gossip: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

Welcome to this new week of Freedom Fighter blogs. The writing team is grateful for the fact that you even click open our blogs and hopefully not just read them, but forward them to a friend.
Today’s topic is a good reminder that our words really do make a difference. I am learning this truth every day.

Solomon wrote: A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. (Proverbs 11:13). 

In 1752, a group of Methodist men, including the famous preacher, John Wesley, signed a covenant that each man agreed to hang on the wall of his study. Please note the six principles that these godly men solemnly agreed to:

• That we will not listen or willingly inquire after ill concerning one another.
• That, if we do hear any ill of each other, we will not be forward to believe it.
• That as soon as possible we will communicate what we hear by speaking or writing to the person concerned.
• That until we have done this, we will not write or speak a syllable of it to any other person.
• That neither will be mention it, after we have done this, to any other person.
• That we will not make any exception to any of these rules unless we think about ourselves absolutely obliged in conference.

Wow! Pretty powerful – and every man had to put his signature to this document.

A dear old Pastor friend, Newton Conant, gave four questions to ask to help us know if something was right to share:

• Is it true?
• Is it kind?
• Is it necessary?
• Does it bring glory to God?

Your words and my words either destroy or give life. The opposite of gossip is giving good reports about your brothers and sisters. Think through this week how you can give a good report about a friend, brother or family member and use your words to give. Thanks for being on this journey with me.

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick. He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 32; Proverbs 1

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: Gossip is like taking a feather pillow and opening it up on a tall building and emptying its contents. Once the feathers are out, it is nigh to impossible to get them all back in.

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith ~Philippians 1:25 (NKJV)

Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear and with a manly heart ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself… Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. ~Paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Philippians 3

Oh beloved, it is true. We will soon breathe the last of the air we will breathe in this body. The end of our bodies will come. Still, the problem (for the believer) is not in the dying. The question is how are we going to live now… For everything we do in this life matters forever.

We could, if we wanted, live in constant shame and regret for the enormous mass of mistake and sin and failure in our lives.

We could, if we allowed it, return to the same fetid pools of all that was wrong with our lives in the past. The temptation is real.

We could, if we really desired, reject the joy and peace and strength of the new life He has given us.

We could, if we choose to keep believing the lie, continue under the harassment of the liar. We could keep believing that we are unloved and unlovable.

We could keep believing that only way out of the pain of our lives is to try and fix it ourselves.

We could, if… and you beloved, could add in any number of other things to this list.

We could… but why?

Can we see it? The new life that Jesus has given us is not just a new way of being. Nor is it simply a new identity in Him (though it is WONDERFULLY THIS!). For beyond the change in us, we are also given a new place to live.

Heaven.

Brothers, we are citizens now of another realm. And the place towards which we are walking is not a dead end – it is the grandest of beginnings. We are now, even right now, part of a Kingdom which has no end. We are utterly free, and this freedom will only grow as we grow in holy union with Christ Jesus.

So… we could go back. I guess…

But why?

Are you hearing the voices of your past screaming right now? It happens. It happens to me a lot. However, I am learning something. All of these voices: The shame, the regret, the siren song of chemicals or lust or anything, the depression, the lies, and the self-sufficiency are no real competition in the light of His eternal, strengthening and healing Presence.

And… When I am simply willing to sit still for a few minutes and listen to Him through His Word and in prayer, I am beginning to actually taste of the Ages to come. Beloved, the taste is delicious, and there is no substitute in this world.

So again, you could stay – or even go back into the stuff that was killing you (and so could this fool of a writer). But again, why? There is an amazing

Home ahead of us. Tonight is your night. Time to know that you are a citizen of Heaven.

By the way. I sure do look forward to that first look into The Father’s House. I also look forward to seeing you there. Keep looking to Him! He will bring you Home too.

Written by Makala Doulos | Makala Doulos is a child of God, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, God’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 29; Proverbs 29

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “Religious work can be done by natural men without the gifts of the Spirit, and it can be done well and skillfully. But work designed for eternity can only be done by the eternal Spirit.” ~A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another ~Romans 15:14 (NKJV)

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” ~Romans 2:6, 7

Obedience is so vital, Romans 2 clarifies that the Jews were practicing the very same things that they were judging the Gentiles. And God was reminding them that He was going to hold them accountable first, because they were exposed to the oracles of God. As the text develops, Paul exposes deeper truth that they were teachers of God’s ways, but they were adulterers, thieves, idol worshippers and murders. He transitions to the reality that a real Jew is not simply a follower of the law, but one who is transformed inwardly by the Spirit.

God is sovereign and a righteous Judge and He will/can hold people accountable for the things, which we have done on earth. He has entrusted the Jews with truth and set them apart to be different. However, they did what was right in their own eyes and God will deal with them accordingly. God hates sin and he deals with disobedience appropriately to the way He seems fit.

As Christian we are the possessors of truth and our lives should reflect it. We are not saved by the law or by our good works, but I lean towards faith that produces obedience. James supports Paul idea when he mentions that he will show you his faith by what his does.

When a person is exposed to truth and is regenerated by the Holy Sprit, it should produce holy living. Not perfection, but the Gospel is about the repented heart, the heart that transforms us to the image of Christ. This is not a free ride to live ungodly lives; it’s a call to God. In addition, we are known by are fruit and our faith is evident in our works. Let’s get off the grace-train express, and live meaningful lives that give glory to God.

Written by Juan Mendez:  Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 28; Proverbs 28

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.”― Augustine of Hippo

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another ~Romans 15:14 (NKJV)

“But we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forevermore” ~ Psalm 115:18

Growing up with a love for music I would often hear my father demand me to “shut that garbage off” followed by “you don’t know what real music is”. What is “real” music? I’m sure it will be an ageless debate because of all the different types of music out there but as a believer we all should have a similar song. Maybe your parents aren’t around anymore to yell at you but if you listen closely, your soul may be whispering to you, “hey, can you change the station?”

Believe it or not God is in the business of changing our music, He wants us to sing His song. When coming to Christ one of the things that needed to go was the music I listened to. I remember the sermon I heard early on where the Preacher said “Garbage in, garbage out”.

So, what’s the song you’re singing today? I believe that each day our soul desires to sing a song. Sometimes it’s a song of distress or sadness, one might say a lament. Ideally, our souls long to sing a song of praise, to be engaged with our God and have a sense of security in a world of uncertainty.

Truth be told, we can feel overwhelmed by circumstances that effect our everyday life, the things that seem to drag us to the ground. If this is the case for you this morning, try getting on your knees while you’re down there. We have a God who can refresh our souls and change the song of the day from a lament to a melody of praise.

There’s a longing within us to worship, the problem is the object of our worship might need to change. If you’re singing a song of defeat or confusion it could be the object of your worship has become fleshly and has left you wanting something that it can’t deliver. Even as believers, if we’re not careful we can find ourselves seeking the wrong things, our desires have been drawn to something other than Jesus.

Psalm 115 takes us through a list of idols that although they appear to have eyes, ears, noses and mouths and even hands, all these things are useless. Maybe you’re not bowing down to a graven image but there could be something else in the place that belongs to God. Ask yourself this question, “What was the first thing that came to your mind when you woke up?” (beside using the bathroom).

It may be a good practice to consider your song selection and choice to sing a song of praise. If you’re struggling to find your song to the Lord, ask Him, He’ll find one for you. It’s in His word, especially the Psalms and you’re in good company. Here’s one to sing today.

“Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,

As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He has mercy on us.

Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorn of those who are at ease,

With the contempt of the proud.” ~Psalm 123

Written by Rob Russomano. Rob is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 26; Proverbs 26

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “A glimpse of God will save you. To gaze at Him will sanctify you.”
~Manley Beasley

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another ~Romans 15:14 (NKJV)

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” ~Acts 20:24

Many of you know and love my friend and brother, Pastor John Hibbard. For the past several years he has battled bone cancer and has done so bravely and valiantly.

Back in December he asked the Lord to give him one more opportunity to preach at the Colony of Mercy Chapel as it would have been his Father’s 100th birthday. God gave him the desire of his heart and he preached, seated in a chair, with passion, energy, and boldness.

He shared the gospel at the service and at the end, a resident of the Colony came up to sit next to him, and Pastor Hibbard had the joy of leading him to Christ. Attending that morning was a couple who Pastor had married while serving at Pemberton’s First Baptist. Because of the husband’s addiction, he lost his family, came to the Colony, and for the last several years has been trying to reconcile with his wife and family. They just happened to attend the service that morning not knowing Pastor Hibbard was preaching. Pastor John was thrilled.

The Lord gave him one more opportunity to preach to the men of the Colony several weeks ago, and it was just an amazing message. He has had a HUGE impact of the Colony men since he has been preaching at the Colony Chapel these past several years.

On Thursday evening at 8:43 PM, Pastor John was ushered into the presence of His Savior. He finished his race with joy. He didn’t limp to the finish line – he finished well.

Pastor Hibbard’s son Jay, wrote these words about his Dad which is a fitting way to honor and remember this incredible man of God:

Tonight my Dad – John Landale Hibbard left this earthly home at 8:43pm for his eternal home with the God he loved and has served all his life. He was the foundation of our family, pastor to thousands through the years and a friend to anyone who met him – even in his last days. His life and daily testimony of service to others and deep faith has impacted all who had the opportunity to meet him. We will all miss his booming infectious laugh, sense of humor, affection and words of encouragement. My prayer for my own life and for all of you reading this is that we will finish our lives as good as my Dad did. He shared with me on Tuesday night and summed this sums it all up…”I have no regrets – I am ready to go “home”. Thank you for all the prayers – I can tell you my Dad and all of us felt them and we appreciate your prayers for my Mom in the days ahead.

What a great example Pastor Hibbard has left for all of us. Is it your desire to finish your race with joy? Are the steps you need to take assure that you will?

I will miss you, my brother. You have touched my life profoundly.

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick. He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 25; Proverbs 25

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: Someday you will read in the papers, ‘D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.’ Don’t you believe a word of it! “At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal — a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another ~Romans 15:14 (NKJV)

 “Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).

Does this mean that God will do anything you ask? Probably not.

God’s omnipotence is His ability to do all His character will permit Him to do. You can be thankful there are some things God just won’t do because they are out of harmony with His moral nature.

God will not look on your sin with approval. Habakkuk 1:12-13 says, “Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? … You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” God’s power won’t approve of your sin because His character won’t permit Him to do so.

Also, God will not be tempted to do evil Himself. James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” God doesn’t have the power to be tempted to do evil. That’s why you can trust His character. When you want God to do something that is out of character for Him, He won’t do it, and that should encourage you.

Besides this, God cannot lie. To Titus the apostle Paul wrote that he was an apostle “according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:1-2). That means you can trust God and His Word to always tell you the truth. You may not like what He tells you, but you can be certain it will always be true.

God is not hampered by inability but sometimes He is deterred by His character. If He delays in solving your problems, it’s not because He lacks the power to do something about them. Rather, it’s because He possesses the wisdom to care for them in the right time and in the right way, neither of which may be evident yet.

Rejoice that God is omnipotent, but be equally glad that He is omniscient, all-knowing. Without the combination of the two, you would have a God with strength but no character, power with no convictions. Fortunately, our God has both. Thank Him for who He is today.

Written by Dr. Woodrow Kroll. Dr. Woodrow Kroll served as President and Senior Bible Teacher at Back to the Bible from 1990-2013 and author of more than 50 books. He will also be our guest speaker for our 2016 Memorial Day Weekend conference, for more info click here.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 22; Proverbs 22

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.” ~ Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.~Psalm 27:3 (NKJV)