Caught up in a briar

Alan Heeley · Tuesday at 8:44 AM

It must be so hard being a new Christian with a worldly past,
I pictured a thicket, a briar of dead brambles roses surrounding guys
who were trying so hard to break through from the old life but were being torn apart wanting to live their new life, but the past keeps complicating the reality of their walk with God and worldly standards keep clouding the way

Caught up in a briar

Caught up in a briar
A tangled web of past life,
Trying to break free
Struggling to breakthrough
Being torn apart
With thorns of condemnation
Vines wound round my feet pulling me down,
Hacking down who I was
Trying to break free
Moving on, but the past
Still weaves a tangled web
The past still a reality.
Clinging on winding round
Like ivy choking the branches
Of the new vine I want to be my
The past is there haunting me
Hindering my future
A new life promised me,
Not easy knowing the way
And making it a reality!

In Awe of Him · Tuesday at 9:03 AM

Oh Alan.... I think this is one of the most BEAUTIFUL reflections on what it feels like when a SHATTERED soul meets JESUS.
I know the Bible is full of stories where JESUS HEALED INSTANTLY.... Pick up your mat and walk... By the hem of My garment... you are healed. Rise up Lazarus....

INDEED God is the God of MIRACLES... but perhaps the BIGGEST MIRACLE of all is what HE does with a soul that has no hope. Slowly... meticulously... with great care and LOVE.... HE begins to breath LIFE into that wretched body. THIS is MY story Alan... and oh HOW Precious... it is to ME that He did not simply heal me at the beginning of it all... but rather HE chose to be a gentlemen... and very gently approached me with such a delicate touch of the hand. It brings me to tears to see the time HE has spent on me... the depth of which HE reached me and the WHOLENESS of which he HEALED me. It took me 20 years to simply be able to understand that HE LOVES me... and from that day forward.... I have been filled to overflowing with OVERFLOWING JOY.

When I look back... I cannot believe HE thought me worth all that effort. It makes me weak in the knees to know that EVEN WHEN all others around me had forsaken me... abused me... neglected me... abandoned me.... JESUS CHOSE to adopt me and give me His Name.

Alan Heeley · Tuesday at 10:19 AM

In Awe of Him said:
Oh Alan.... I think this is one of the most BEAUTIFUL reflections on what it feels like when a SHATTERED soul meets JESUS.
I know the Bible is full of stories where JESUS HEALED INSTANTLY.... Pick up your mat and walk... By the hem of My garment... you are healed. Rise up Lazarus....

INDEED God is the God of MIRACLES... but perhaps the BIGGEST MIRACLE of all is what HE does with a soul that has no hope. Slowly... meticulously... with great care and LOVE.... HE begins to breath LIFE into that wretched body. THIS is MY story Alan... and oh HOW Precious... it is to ME that He did not simply heal me at the beginning of it all... but rather HE chose to be a gentlemen... and very gently approached me with such a delicate touch of the hand. It brings me to tears to see the time HE has spent on me... the depth of which HE reached me and the WHOLENESS of which he HEALED me. It took me 20 years to simply be able to understand that HE LOVES me... and from that day forward.... I have been filled to overflowing with OVERFLOWING JOY.

When I look back... I cannot believe HE thought me worth all that effort. It makes me weak in the knees to know that EVEN WHEN all others around me had forsaken me... abused me... neglected me... abandoned me.... JESUS CHOSE to adopt me and give me His Name.

We have several newly born again twenty somethings in our church and to see them struggle with living a Christ like life with the tangle of past life, relationships, worldly distractions, trying to move on fighting to do the right thing, but their previous life needs must be resolved,
Who are we to tell them which relationship is the right one, or their profession isn’t honouring God?
life time habits must need no longer be part of their life?
You only get one chance to make a first reaction… that could affect someone for the rest of their life
Walk a mile in their shoes and pray Jesus into the situation

In Awe of Him · Tuesday at 10:29 AM

Alan Heeley said:
We have several newly born again twenty somethings in our church and to see them struggle with living a Christ like life with the tangle of past life, relationships, worldly distractions, trying to move on fighting to do the right thing, but their previous life needs must be resolved,
Who are we to tell them which relationship is the right one, or their profession isn’t honouring God?
life time habits must need no longer be part of their life?
You only get one chance to make a first reaction… that could affect someone for the rest of their life
Walk a mile in their shoes and pray Jesus into the situation

You said a mouthful there Alan.... and so it is so very important that the MATURE ones continue to rise up and SHOW them what a transformed CHRIST-LIKE life looks like.

Ironically... this forum is the place where I have TASTED the healing POWER of COMMUNITY. We need to be RAISING up our children/our NEW BABES in such a way where we teach them how to keep their eyes on JESUS... no matter what.

I know for me... I was such a broken MESS... literally a SHATTERED soul... there was nil chance for my survival.... so I imagine that I was quite a joke to those "Christians" who would judge me as hopeless or UNSAVED due to my continual falling down.

Psalm 91 saved my life Alan... because I stayed hidden... .with all my guilt and shame.... all my agony... all my sadness and deep sorrow. It manifested itself as SEVERE CHRONIC DEPRESSION... and oh how I bore that cross for decades.... yet.....yet... YET. God was STILL working to complete what HE had begun in me. I can't wrap my brain around the reality of WHERE I come from.... WHERE I have been and NOW.... Who I am. It's like the snail winning the race... This is why I am so filled to overflowing with JOY.... It's REAL... this JESUS is REAL... HE is a HEALER... He is FAITHFUL to finish that with which HE starts.... and it's ALWAYS a good WORK.

So to the caterpillar... I say this..... WAIT..... GOD is NOT finished with you YET

Alan Heeley · Tuesday at 10:32 AM

In Awe of Him said:
You said a mouthful there Alan.... and so it is so very important that the MATURE ones continue to rise up and SHOW them what a transformed CHRIST-LIKE life looks like.

Ironically... this forum is the place where I have TASTED the healing POWER of COMMUNITY. We need to be RAISING up our children/our NEW BABES in such a way where we teach them how to keep their eyes on JESUS... no matter what.

I know for me... I was such a broken MESS... literally a SHATTERED soul... there was nil chance for my survival.... so I imagine that I was quite a joke to those "Christians" who would judge me as hopeless or UNSAVED due to my continual falling down.

Psalm 91 saved my life Alan... because I stayed hidden... .with all my guilt and shame.... all my agony... all my sadness and deep sorrow. It manifested itself as SEVERE CHRONIC DEPRESSION... and oh how I bore that cross for decades.... yet.....yet... YET. God was STILL working to complete what HE had begun in me. I can't wrap my brain around the reality of WHERE I come from.... WHERE I have been and NOW.... Who I am. It's like the snail winning the race... This is why I am so filled to overflowing with JOY.... It's REAL... this JESUS is REAL... HE is a HEALER... He is FAITHFUL to finish that with which HE starts.... and it's ALWAYS a good WORK.

So to the caterpillar... I say this..... WAIT..... GOD is NOT finished with you YET

View attachment 11088

Amen!!!!