"But Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS will be added to you."
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
My first Action Step in my Transformation while I was at the Salvation Army was to develop a Daily morning meditation time with Jesus. I had a buddy from the warehouse give me a NLT "One Year Bible." I recommend getting an NLT (New Living Translation) or an NIV (New International Version) Bible when you first start reading the bible because it's easier to read. I think a One Year Bible is good for beginners but I'm not a big fan of it. When I am speaking with new believers I usually tell them to get a traditional Bible and to start by reading the Book of John. I tell them to read one chapter of John, one chapter of Psalms and one chapter of Proverbs every morning. I also recommend that you meditate in a quiet time with God thanking Him for everything you have. Even though I was living in a homeless shelter I had so many things to be thankful for. Being drug and alcohol free. Having a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food to eat. Start by making a gratitude list. A gratitude list is everything you are thankful for. What about the ability to walk, see, hear, not be in prison? These are things that we all take for granted. This is how I started my day.
To go along with my morning meditation it is vital to sever your relationships with any and ALL USING friends. Obviously "They" weren't doing anything to help you stay sober! I had to cut all ties with my "So Called" friends.
That brings me to the most important part of my Transformation. Finding loving Christian brothers who care about you, your heart and your well being! So where do you find people like this? Well for me being a man first of all find a good bible based church that has a good Men's Ministry. If you're a women look for a good Women's Ministry! I would first check out the church to see what they believe in. Are they teaching right out of the Bible? Is the Pastors' message a message of Hope and NOT Condemnation or Repentance? I don't know about you but when I was at the very bottom and wanted to kill myself the last thing that I needed was someone telling me how bad I am. I needed REAL Christian men to love on me and tell me that they understood the pain I was going through. I needed to hear what they did and how God saved their lives. I didn't need someone telling me what to do! I needed someone to show me what THEY did!
So develop a consistent Daily Devotional Time and remember this...You have to want a new life, a better life more than ANYTHING ELSE! You have to dedicate your WHOLE LIFE to Jesus! If not then you probably won't last long not drinking and drugging.
We love you and are praying for you! Next time we'll get into Action Step #2!
Thank you Jesus for Saving my Life! Amen
Matthew Linehan