Men’s Retreat follow up from Pastor Nathan
A Follow-up from Pastor Nathan
To all the men who stepped out in faith and were prayed over to be set free from addiction I want to share with you the stories of two different men who received a similar gift from the Lord many years ago…
Up at camp I shared with you the story of Chad Roche whom the Lord delivered from a decade’s long alcohol addiction the moment He received prayer and to this date has not touched a drop of alcohol. I also shared how he pursued the role of pastoring and ultimately went after a seminary degree, but more importantly he remained connected to the accountability and the local church body.
However, I did not get to share with you the story of another individual who was set free of an addiction to marijuana. For two years this man’s life and family made a drastic change toward the Lord, they became more involved in church ministries and missions. They followed God’s leading to foster and were growing nearer in relationship to Jesus. Then, a church hurt happened, and against all counsel of friends and pastors they backed away from the church & over the course of the next few months I learned the addiction had come back and was now a regular part of his life. I was heartbroken.
This has led me to understand a truth about the bride of Christ, or what we commonly call the church. The Lord, from the beginning of time, has chosen to make Himself known through fellowship and community with one another. Therefore, we are not to forsake the meeting together corporately to worship God and encourage one another. When you fall out of relationship with the body of Christ, you take on the demonic forces of this world alone and that is always a recipe for failure.
I share these two stories of victory and failure not to discourage anyone but to encourage you to remain in the body of Christ and continue to walk in the promises the Lord has provided for His bride. Push through offense and uncomfortable situations to maintain the unity of the church the Lord has planted you in. I know the Lord set many of you free Saturday night, and if you wish to remain in that freedom, first and foremost you must walk in the Spirit as we read in Galatians. Secondly, I urge you to stay connected in relationship with your local church, develop a band of brothers who will join in the fight with you and when you feel broken and that you cannot go on, they will come along side you and fight with you and the strength of the Lord will lift you to heights you never imagined possible.
Be blessed my brothers!!!
Peace,
Nathan Bentley