Month: January 2013

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Update on New Book and Webinars

Julia and I have been surprised and gratified by the response to the new book, Helping Others Overcome Addictions. It has given a real impetus to the ministry. Steve McVey and I decided (really his idea) to focus on helping others. The reason is that statistics show that someone struggling with an addiction affects every family. The book shows how the church has bought the lie about addiction that it is up to you to do what you can to overcome addiction and has defaulted to the secular and adopted the 12 Step approach. That is the same thing as saying that the finished work of Christ is not enough and we are not dead to sin and freed from it (Rom. 6:2, 6, 7) and it is up to us to make it happen. We believe is one of the major reasons so few find freedom from addiction that has been provided for them.

Part 1 of the book gives a biblical perspective on addiction and its root cause and the prerequisite to finding freedom. It also clearly presents God’s answer for addiction, which is freedom in Christ. There is also a chapter on codependency and tells you how to have a biblical intervention.

Part 2 of the book lays out how to set up and conduct a recovery ministry where people find true and lasting freedom in Christ. The retail price of the book is $12.99, but we have a special price of $8.00 plus shipping. Check it out and our other resources at https://freedfrom.wordpress.com/order-form/store/

Dr. John Woodward of Grace Fellowship International has completely revised our web site and I am really pleased with it. It looks great! The new address is https://freedfrom.wordpress.com. However if you enter the old address it will continue to direct to the new website. We are still tweaking it and adding to it and would be glad to have any suggestions you might have. Check it out and let me know what you think

I will be sending out a monthly update and blogs from time to time.

The Freedom From Addictive Behaviors Advanced Webinar is posted and can be downloaded for free at http://freenhim.org/webinar_archive/index.html. We will be presenting the Freedom From Addictive Behaviors Basic Webinar live beginning Feb. 21 for six sessions on Thursday evenings at 8:00 PM EDT. Check out the info on it and how to register at https://freedfrom.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/basic-webinar-scheduled/. We will record it and post it for free download also.

We will be presenting a webinar on the new book, Helping Others Overcome Addictions in March. It will be  done live and we will record it also and post it and you will be able to download for free.

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God Has Done It

I have read Watchman Nee’s devotional, A Table in the Wilderness over the years, but not lately. I picked it up today and he really nailed it on what true faith and real grace is all about. “All things whatsoever you pray for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them” (Mark 11:24).

“Faith is your acceptance of God’s fact. Had you thought of this? True faith always has its roots in the past. What relates to the future is hope rather than faith, though of course the two are closely interlinked. In these words of Jesus you re assured that, if you believe you already have received your requests (that is of course in Him), then “you shall have them”. To believe that you may get something, or that you can get it, or even that you will get it is not faith. This is faith: to believe that you have already got it. Such faith does not say ‘God can’ or ‘God may’ or ‘God must’. God it affirms, ‘has done it’. The Christian life is lived progressively, as it is entered initially, by faith in divine fact.” (Table in the Wilderness, May , Watchman Nee).

I put the devotional on Facebook in my status and a friend replied, “I know that He “has done it” so far as my salvation is concerned … I just don’t have the faith to name it and claim it when it comes to other things … say, finances … or, a new career, etc., etc. Guess He’s got more work to do in me, huh?”

My reply to him was, “I’ve struggled with the same thing over the years. But I believe the struggle is over, because it has all been done – for everything, sanctification – all. We are dead to sin and complete in Christ. It is finished! The Phillips paraphrase puts it like this, “For Christ means the end of the struggle for righteousness-by-the-Law for everyone who believes in Him.”

We really shouldn’t have to struggle to believe something as if we do it will be true. It is true because it has already been done. It is a fact.”

Don’t get me wrong. I do struggle with believing that all my prayers are answered as soon as I pray, but for the main issues in our Christian life, such as sanctification; God working all things for our good, etc, etc. I do think it is a done deal (even if I don’t act like it). 2 Cor. 1:20 says, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.

MQ

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Book Published

It is very interesting to me that the first miracle Jesus performed was to turn water into wine (John 2:1-12). Why? He didn’t do it in a religious setting (temple or synagogue)? He doesn’t care that they had drunk freely and some had drunk too much. It could have been a good time to give a message on temperance or abstinence. Why did He do this? He didn’t tell his mother that He had better things to do when she told Him they had run out of wine. Why did He choose this setting to perform His first miracle and display His glory? The six pots of water contained at least 120 gallons. That is a lot of wine. Why? He entered into the celebration of the marriage. He is part of it. He is with them. He is one of them. He is there for them.

One major point is the Christian life is not about right or wrong. It is about life and death. The Christian life is Jesus. Just Jesus. Nothing but Jesus. Only Jesus. I think He did it to say I am here for you. This is why I came. I love you. I didn’t come to shape you up, help you to do right and not sin. I came to give you Myself. All the other stuff they tell you to do is nothing but shadows with no substance in it. The only substance is Christ. Christ in you, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ (Col 2:17).

I once heard Dr. Wilbur Hatch, who taught bible at Columbia Bible College say, “If you tell anyone they have to do anything, you’re a heretic”. If you think you have to do anything, you have missed the boat. You’re on the wrong train. When we get to heaven, will Jesus say, “That was a very impressive life you lived with all your accomplishments and achievements and ministry and service, but you missed the whole point. You missed ME! It was all about ME!” Don’t miss Jesus. Jesus is the LIFE, He is the WAY, He is the TRUTH. Jesus is everything. Everything else is a lie. Jesus + nothing = Everything.

Steve McVey and I have finished the final edit of our book, Helping Others Overcome Addictions and it has been published by Harvest House.HelpingOthersOvercomeAddictionsbk

To make a gift to Julia and me and our ministry, make the check out to Grace Walk Ministries and send it in the enclosed envelope to P. O. Box 3669, Riverview FL 33568. Insert a piece of paper in the envelope indicating it is for the “Quarles” (to make it tax deductible). You can do it with a credit card on the web site. Just go to  http://gracewalk.org and click on “donations” in the left column, then click on “To Make a Donation” and fill out the blanks. Be sure to scroll down and put our name in “This gift designated for” space.

Grace to you and yours,
Mike and Julia

(2/2012)