08/25/2024
It has been awhile since I posted on here. I think and pray for each of you often that have touched our small RU program whether it be from posts, in person meetings, or phone calls. I was just recently on vacation and though I was not at our RU meeting Friday, I felt the Lord in his own way put me in the Lyft ride I was on. I meet Louis the driver when he picked me up from grabbing some dinner for the few of us left in Orlando. I could tell right away something was different about him, you know the way a believer glows. After a few minutes I asked him if he was a believer and he said yes. He went through some hard times as a teenager but after serving some time in juvenile detention he got out. His mom and dad were divorced and he told me as he started to unpack his stuff, his mom told him to stop. He asked her, "What do you mean?" and she responded you are not living here anymore, I have a ticket for you to move in with your dad. HE said it was then that his life took the turn, and he was able to trust in the Lord and leave his old ways and old friends, and old habits and start new ways, with new friends, and new habits.
2 Cor. 5:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things become new."
Louis probably in his mid 50's is a stable God loving man, what a testimony to hear, but he was troubled because of many of the things in his past, his now 15 year old daughter is gong through. I asked permission to pray for them and share this story. Her name is Angelica. She does not battle drug addiction, she does not battle alcohol addiction, s*xual desires, but her battle is with anger, she faces uncontrollable at times anger. She is not saved and is currently serving 18 months in a juvenile detention. I asked Louis what the plan was for when she got out, and he said for her to come home. I reminded him of what his mom and dad did for him and told him to pray about it but think if there may be a better option for her long term survival to beat this anger. Ru Principle 6 "Those who do not love the Lord will not help you serve the Lord" meaning if she serves her time and comes back to the same old life she will be in the same temptations and pitfalls that got her there. He did mention she was attending a group of Christian believers, but after one session the program was temporarily put on hold because someone in the group hurt themselves.
The reason I am sharing all of this is for one to let you know your not battling any of this alone, whether there 15, 50, or 80 everyone I mean EVERYONE is battling a demon inside of them. We talk about this all the time at our meetings, it could be alcohol, it could be drugs, woman, men, s*x, po*******hy, over eating, anger you name it. We all need #1 the Lord in our life, #2 not just putting the Lord in our life but putting our life in the Lord. This is not a one way street, what you put into something always determines the outcome. It's not about works, but about self improvement. I believe whole heartedly in the RU program, but its the whole program that works for people. It's not just show up Friday and your good for 7 more days. It's working on your challenges, its attending your church when the lights are on, its soul winning, and most of all its your personal prayer time and bible study that will help you grow in Christ.
Please reach out to us through Facebook, the church Somerset Bible Baptist Church if you would like more information about the program.
And please pray for Louis and his daughter Angelica. Pray for wisdom for Louis and his wife as they navigate this trial for their daughter and pray for Angelica as she battles this anger and the resistance for accepting the Lord as her saviour. Remember temptation goes back to Adam and Eve as an early example of sin...
