Offering real hope to all of us who experience conflicted lives

There are a few books that come along at just the right time in life to profoundly impact your life. This is such a book. In The Antidote Chris Creech clearly lays out a path forward for those who are plagued with the problem of conflicted ministries. He carefully thinks through how Scripture can help people, how people can help others, and why we develop sin patterns. It helped me to process and face my own deep pain and my response to it.

Chris points out that the beginning of change is Repentance. If no work is done beneath the water line, then work above the water line results in trying to find acceptance and love apart from Jesus. Repentance deals with issues underneath the waterline and includes a deep level repentance of trying to get our acceptance, security, competence needs met from people and from performance rather than from Jesus. Chris encourages us to pray “Lord I have sinned . I have been trying to gain acceptance of man by doing… What ever ‘doing’ that we use to gain the attention of others. Thank you for forgiving me and for forgetting this sin...I purpose to live only for you, seeking only you! In his name, I pray. Amen!”

 

As Chris points out the good news of repentance is that freedom is gained through proper confession which allows a person to ignore seeking the love of people and provides the opportunity to live only in the love of Jesus. The big takeaway for me was Chris’s statement that says acceptance comes from Jesus. It cannot be lost. He gives it to the Christian unconditionally. The Christian can’t gain more acceptance from him because he has given the Christian all the acceptance there is to give.

Thank you Chris for writing this book and offering real hope to all of us who experience conflicted lives and conflicted ministries. Thanks for the truth that sets us free, our victory in Jesus.

Dan Munson - D.Min, LMFT( licensed marriage and family therapist). Founder of Family Innovations, a counseling agency with 200 counselors in its employ. He has also been a pastor for over 25 years and an interim pastor of 12 churches.