Rend Not Your Clothes...But Your Heart

"Beloved, if any unholiness exists in the nature, it is not there by the consent of the Spirit of God. If unholiness is in your life it is because your soul is giving consent to it, and you are retaining it. Let it go. Cast it out and let God have His way in your life." --John G. Lake

He came so restless. The charge nurse asked me to evaluate this young, newly incarcerated male. His upper extremities were showing slight tremors, when our medication nurse made a round in his unit.

“I take like 30 pills of Vicodin [a narcotic] a day, Ma’am. And yes, I also drink lots of alcohol everyday and snort heroin.” His gaze was not steady, combing every corners of the Infirmary. His arms hanging on to his clothing as if he wanted to tear them.

“Relax, Sir. I know it’s difficult. But if you keep moving your left arm, the blood pressure cuff will not stop pumping and it’s gonna’ hurt you,” I softly warned.

“Awww….Okay. Okay….I’m trying,” he responded with very rapid sighs.

I started him on two protocols: one for opiate withdrawal and the other for alcohol withdrawal. I was allowed to give him certain medications based on those. To his relief.

“Sir,” I repeated, “Relax. Okay? Try to. Stop pulling on your clothes.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I’ll try.”

“These medications will help control your shaking, the runs, nausea and vomiting and at night, you would be given something to help you sleep. It would be brought to where you are housed by the medication nurses.”

The rapid footsteps left the Infirmary. His face managed to paint a grateful smile that something was done. But that “fix” was only temporary. He knew that. Change must come from him. Deep inside.

God wants our hearts. From our hearts come both the good and the bad things. If given to Him with true repentance, the bad things go. Like being purged. It is not an easy process. God did not guarantee an easy life with Him. But it would be worth it. For a life with Christ is liberating. Our sins forgiven when we truly repent. Let us stop pulling on our clothes, trying to make choices. Just choose for one. The only way. The only truth. The only life.

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” ~ Joel 2:13 [NIV]

17 comments:

  1. Love this song by Delirious? Thank you for once again sharing from your heart. Praying you have a wonderful week in Him.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  2. It may be very difficult at times, but in my mind, there is NO other choice.

    Happy Mother's Day lovely lady!

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  3. I getting to like the group Delirous more and more. Here with you Rosel. Thank you for sharing. Blessings.

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  4. Wonderful song sis. Praying you had a beautiful Mother's Day. I love you.

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  5. Your messages to all are straight from your heart and from the heart of God. He certainly lives through you and as I've said many times before and I can't say it enough...YOU SHINE FOR HIM, yes you do.

    I love you my precious sister...I love you very much. Thank you for taking me by the hand too as we walk along in this life side-by-side with so many others to a glorious eternal life beyond this earthly world. Thank you for teaching me and making me see and understand even more clearly His Word. I am so grateful to you and to Him for that.

    Again, I love you Rosel and hope your day was a very special one.

    Peace,
    Alleluiabelle

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  6. Another rock-solid post with Rock-solid Truth behind it! Keep up the great work, sis!

    (And Happy Mother's Day!!!)

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  7. Yeah, following GOD is not guaranteed we will have a happy life, but GOD promise us to have an eternal life when He come again to this world..

    God bless you more and more my friend :)

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  8. Thank you for such an inspirational post and message. God has been using you in such a wonderful way in ministering to the down and out that feel there is no hope left in this world. God's blessings, Lloyd

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  9. Good Morning Sister Rosel

    God always does an inside job, starting with a heart replacement.

    Ezekiel 36:26
    I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

    Only then can a person think and speak right.

    Matthew 12:34
    Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

    God Bless You and keep up the good work for Jesus

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  10. Great post, Rosel. Repentance, not only being sorry for sin but turning our back on it, is a concept so often glossed over today. Jesus continued preached repentance, as did the apostles. And as you said, it has to come from our hearts. We have to make that choice to change.

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  11. Great post . . . I explained to my son, Caleb that we sin we grieve the Holy Spirit. He looked at me and said, Mom I understand . . . but sometimes I mess up. I continued saying . . . we all mess up son, but that's not the end . . . we have Christ to cover for us when we sin. I love you, Mom he said to me. The best mother's day ever. I love you too my friend and sister in Christ.
    Bren

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  12. love kari jobe. my husband went to college with her. lovely blog. :)

    nicole visiting from
    http://lettersfromcoco.blogspot.com/

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  13. This post made me cry. If we give our hearts to god the bad thing will go away. I pray this young man will grasp it. Love your new background and header.

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  14. Rosel,
    Beautiful post as usual...always leaves me with a lot to think about. Thank you. I like your new look and the music is beautiful, too!

    Blessings,
    Jean

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  15. Amen! Great post my friend.
    We need that here. A change of heart.
    Thanks for praying for our country.
    We had a very peaceful election yesterday. With a little violence. And the new automated voting machine is somehow effective.
    God bless.
    Regards
    xo

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  16. So true Rosel. We truly have to engage our wills and surrender each area to the Lord.

    Thank you for the Mother's Day wishes. I pray you had a blessed day!

    Love & hugs to you!
    Beth

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  17. It is so hard working with those who are imprisoned in the bondage of sin and the effects that bondage has on human beings. As a pastor it breaks my heart to see what sin has done, and how much I want them to have stony heart removed and a fleshy one put back in. Only by the will of a sovereign God does that happen when and where he chooses. The pain isn't easy to work around. Great post.

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"Faith is taking the first step even if you don't see the whole staircase..."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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