Archie Boyle's Blog

We can overcome

Archie Boyle — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:26 +0000

In John 9 a poor blind beggar was despised and after accepting the healing ministry of Jesus found himself expelled from Jewish society. In that situation Jesus stepped into the gap and provided passionate friendship. He invited the despised individual to believe in His ability to heal the hurt and master our circumstances.

We to need to believe in Jesus ability to heal us and help us overcome.

John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Up There

Archie Boyle — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:26:20 +0000

Our Lord once said to His disciples, “Arise, let us be going”: the assignment they took on was a difficult one, but they were obedient to the call to engage in the rise to higher peaks. To live their God given opportunities.

Apprehension within me often arises when I am faced with mountains which invite personal spiritual growth.

I pray each day that I will live ‘Up There’ where God reigns and I obediently obey His leading.

Joshua 14:12 So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me.

Call to Arms

Archie Boyle — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:00:17 +0000

As we share together in recovery it becomes obvious some are only interested in taking short-cuts toward sobriety .

Todays text is a summons into a call to arms, or recruitment to battle. Get into the fight for spiritual survival. Desperate needs arising from past failures demand refusal to give up, sheer dedication and willingness to cut links with our past and venture into an unknown future through faith and reliance on Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:3 Fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish.

Running Away

Archie Boyle — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:26:54 +0000

Jonah ran away because he was afraid to measure his manly strength against being what God wanted him to be. He felt he could map put his own destiny remote from difficult jobs like the one God appointed him to.

Like Jonah our first response to the difficulties of recovery could be ‘RUN’. But the longer we persevere in recovery the more we realise it is more comfortable to travel with God in the direction He has mapped out for each of us than it is to flee to a lost existence.

Jonah 1:3 Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.

A warning

Archie Boyle — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:14:01 +0000

As we walk daily with God it is important we are as aware if what He doesn’t want from us as well as what He does.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the later times some people will stop believing the faith. They will follow spirits that lie and teachings of demons. Such teachings come from the false words of liars whose consciences are destroyed as if by a hot iron.

Cheer Up

Archie Boyle — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:43:50 +0000

Recognising the presence of Jesus is to subject ourselves to the discovery of His footprints. He is always there. We can safely follow after Him. His way is best: He is THE WAY. How cheerful we can be knowing He is there, with us.

Going forward triumphantly depends on me following Him.

Mark 6:50 Jesus was quick to comfort them: “Courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”

Archie Boyle — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:40:08 +0000

God choose me! Even though He knew what a mess I was going to make of life. WOW what a mighty God we serve.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Our God

Archie Boyle — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:46:30 +0000

Our God strengthens us in times of weakness and comforts us in painful experiences. Our pain may be a result of past addictions and compulsions. It may be that there are things that we will continue to feel the pressure of for some time. But, we can’t blame God, our circumstances of anyone else for it. We freely choose alcohol and drugs and now one of the key ingredients of recovery is ‘time to heal’.

Be encouraged that God does not bring comfort when suffering is required. He can give an abundance of grace to help us endure. The Apostle Paul was not extracted from bodily weakness and suffering but simply given the power of endurance. Our God is sufficient for all we have to face in life.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

The Ugly Image

Archie Boyle — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:04:47 +0000

We all have defects in our character. For some of us the reality of that statement can be awfully wounding. The revelation of flaws and defects, however it comes, can be hurtful. It is useless to run away and not much better to be self-defensive, anger can result from this emotional upheaval. Things can only get worse unless we find a place of repair. The ugly image of self will remain as it is and haunt us until we find a source of transforming ability.

The ugly image can be changed by the Masterful touch of Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Who knows the Way?

Archie Boyle — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:26:05 +0000

Have you ever been lost? Started out on a journey, thinking you knew the way to discover half way there you are lost.

A common experience that most of us have been through. It is not a good feeling when it happens, we feel vulnerable and powerless as we travel into the unknown.

Addiction brings us to a place where we feel lost and out of touch with familiar things and people.

One of the best things about recovery is someone has gone ahead of us to show us he way. In spite of this we still sometimes get lost. We take our eyes off the road, start to look at others and want to follow them. We forget the pain from our old way if living and romance about the ‘good times’. Without realising it we end up lost.

John prepared the way for the coming of Christ and Jesus has prepared the way for us: we don’t need to get lost.

Luke 7:27 ‘I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you. ’