February 25, 2025

Life’s Healing Choices: Week 4 – Moving Past the Guilt – Part 2

January 30, 2013 by

I’ve been to rehab three times.  And the third time was the charm. I would love to tell you that I came home and everything was just perfect and all my relationships were restored and I was forgiven and trusted immediately. NOT!!!!!  I never would admit to anyone all that I had done. I had three different sponsors during early recovery and did steps 4 and 5 at least three times but never the way God intended. I only told what made me sound somewhat sane, which was entirely a lie. I never admitted to God, I figured He knew already and why did I need to tell Him again?

Bottom line: I  wasn’t ready to surrender. I wanted to do things my way, like the lonely soundtrack for misery of the song, “I did it my way.”  My way wasn’t working and had never ever worked and it was time to try something different. I wanted the miracle of freedom, so I finally did what it took and it started with confessing my past and truly leaving all those bags at the doorway of freedom and never looking back. Oh, I pick up a bag every now and then and carry it around. It’s heavy and uncomfortable and I’m supposed to ask Him for help. I wasn’t meant to carry this alone. He created us to need each other, and to need Him in the midst.

We need an accountability partner—we have to tell someone our secrets, for secrets keep us sick and keep us right where we are. We cannot move forward until we let go of our past by confessing our past to someone else and to our Heavenly Father.  We need to have this person pray with us for the forgiveness and freedom that is ours through Jesus. He died so that we may have life free from sin and guilt and shame. Do it now. Don’t wait or procrastinate. I read somewhere that depression isn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of being strong too long.  Ask for forgiveness and accept it—it is freeing!  If you don’t then you are saying His death was for nothing, and that it wasn’t enough for you. It is for you.

We don’t get to choose our story’s beginning and we don’t get to make our husbands love us perfectly. We don’t get to choose our children’s problems (or lack of) and we don’t get to demand life. We get to accept it. Like a gift. No one ever entered into God’s fullness by giving Him only half of yourself. You may wrestle, but in Him you’ve won. You may suffer, but in Him you’ve got security. You may regret, but in Him you will rise. You may no longer be free to live the easy way, but in Him you will be free.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).  “Outweighs them all”—all the mistakes we have made He uses all for His glory. When you’re tempted to hide under the covers this week because some horrible memories of things you did in the past are bringing back shame and guilt, remember they are just feelings—nothing more. You have been delivered.

Psalms 54:4  “I sought the Lord and He answered me, and He delivered me from my fears.” Delivered !!!

Ephesians 3:20  “He is able to do abundantly beyond anything that we can think or ask.” He is able…to do ANYTHING.

Anything we need-–-we just need to ask…then receive…then move forward. When you are tempted to go back, fall forward. Keep moving forward toward Him. Finish this race strong. Remember, God forgives instantly and freely; now just do it!!!

Do these steps in this chapter, read them carefully, and do them exactly as they are written. God will hold you through this. I’m so proud of you all!  Hang in there and know I’m praying for you.

At last I leave you with God’s word, “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the Heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us” (Philippian 3:13, 14).

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Your life is worth so much. Please hear me—God’s grace is freely yours, just follow through with choice 4; freedom and joy and so much more are yours!!!

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for Who You are. You are our strength and our fortress. Our stronghold and comforter in sorrow. You are our everything. We cannot thank You enough for Your forgiveness and grace freely given to us. You love us not for what we do but for who You made us to be. You know each of our hearts and You know what we desire and You promise to give them to us. We trust You. We ask for Your help in laying it all down at Your feet and help us not to take it back. Forgive us and keep us safe during this sometimes painful journey.  We love You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

Please read sections 4 and 5 carefully, and pray about when and who and where to do your talking. This a hard one.  Just let us know that you have chosen someone, and the rest can be your choice as to whether you share or not.

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If you are interested in joining us for the online Bible Study, click HERE. Once we have received your registration, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send a private message to Kim in regards to this blog, please email her at Kim@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Life’s Healing Choices – Chapter 3: Stepping Across the Line

January 23, 2013 by

I’m going to start today’s blog post with a little poem that my pastor quoted Sunday.  It goes like this…

 

I went for a walk today down a winding road and fell in a hole,

it’s not my fault.

I went for a walk today down the same road and fell in a hole,

why did I do that?

I went for a walk today down the same road, fell in the same hole,

it’s my fault.

I went for a walk today down the same winding road, I barely made it around the hole.

I took a different road today.

I cannot handle that winding road I’ve been on. I won’t go down it again.

 

Does that sound familiar to you? Are you having a hard time stepping off the same path? Today we will step across the line together into Jesus’ arms and allow Him to care and control ALL of us. Ready? OK! (The cheerleader in me came out.)

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T-o

E-verlasting

P-eace

 

Step 1: We must accept Jesus as our Savior, Lord of our life. He must live in our heart and be the center of our being. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”  You will be saved, not might be, but will be. Commit as much of yourself as you can at this moment and He can do great things. This is so exciting! Shall we go on?

Step 2: We must accept God’s word as our standard. It must be our life manual. God gave us His word to guide us in every aspect of our lives. What a gift from our Creator! The Bible contains love letters from our Heavenly Father, and instructions by which to live our lives so that we will have the peace and joy He promised us. As we commit more and more of ourselves to Jesus, we will want to live our lives according to His will for us and the only way to know His will is to read and study His words. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man’s life and training him in good living”(2 Timothy 3:16).

Step 3: We must accept His will as our purpose. We have to let go of the plans we have for ourselves and totally surrender them. His ways must become our ways. We must die to ourselves and become a new person in Him—the person He wants us to be. I love how John Baker puts it: how we must wake up every day and say “Lord, You woke me up this morning. You obviously have another day planned for me!  What is that plan?” I usually start my day out on my knees and end it there also. I pray for the willingness to be teachable and the strength to do whatever He wants me to do that day.

Step 4: We must accept His power as our strength. 2 Samuel 22:40 says,  “You armed me with strength for the battle–You humbled my adversaries.” When we commit ourselves to Him, His strength is ours, and His power is ours. He has given us His Spirit and with that comes the benefit of having His resources at hand at all times. We are armed for whatever trial comes our way.

So, are you ready to step across the line together? He’s waiting with open arms. If you have not yet asked Him to be Lord of your life, my friend, this is the most important decision  you will ever make. It is your life choice. “Look. Here  I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal as friends” (Revelation 3:20).

He wants to come into your life and help you live this life He gave you. He wants to come in so badly but He will not come in if you don’t ask. Oh dear friend, you don’t have to go this alone. You don’t have to white knuckle it! His power is yours. Your willpower isn’t enough. I know mine isn’t. If it was, I would never have gone down this road of addiction. I wouldn’t have left a trail of destruction and hurt for all I love. But we serve an awesome Savior Who can redeem all we have done and make us a new creation in Him.

 

If you are truly ready to commit your life to Him then answer these questions:

Do you believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and proved He was God by coming back? 1 Corinthians 15:2-4

Do you accept God’s free forgiveness for your sins? Romans 3:22

Do you want to switch to His plan for your life? Romans 12:2

Are you ready to express your desire for Jesus to be the director of your life? Romans 10:9

If you answered yes to all these questions then make this a reality and make the choice to step across the line today holding your Savior’s hand. He’s so ready and willing. Just say yes.

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for coming into my life and redeeming me and dwelling in me. Thank You for all these women who dedicated their lives to You today, some for the first time and for others a rededication. Lord, we believe You sent Your Son Jesus to die for our sins, so we can be forgiven. We are sorry for all our wrongdoings and as we continue this journey with You, Lord, we ask for the willingness to be teachable and the strength to carry on with this beautiful life You have given us. Thank You that we do not have to go this alone. Lord, some of us are so tired and we need You more than we know. Give us rest and take our burdens as You have so promised. We love You and Praise You for Who You are. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

Let us know if you prayed that prayer, so we can continue to encourage you in this amazing journey. Look up scriptures and enter them in to your journal. Remember, all comments are public on this blog. You have the option of signing in anonymously.

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If you are interested in joining us for the Life’s Healing Choices online Bible study, click HERE. Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send a private message to Kim in regards to this post, please email her at Kim@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

 

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Life’s Healing Choices: Week 2 – Plugging In To God’s Power

January 16, 2013 by

 

“Believe it or not, things work better when they’re plugged in.”

–John Baker, Life’s Healing Choices

 

A couple of months ago, I had a sink that would not drain—a sink full of yucky smelling water. I flipped the switch up and down on the disposal…and nothing. Being the fixer that I am, I bought three Rubbermaid containers and filled them up with this stinky sink water so that I could wash dishes.

I have a big family.  Four kids and a husband equals many, many dishes and utensils. To add to the inconvenience of this, we live on the 18th floor of a high-rise condominium.  In order to dump these containers took a dolly and manpower. After going to all this trouble, I finally called Maintenance up.  He took one look under my sink and said, “The disposal works better plugged in!” Are you kidding me? It was that simple? Imagine the trouble I could have saved myself if I had just known to plug it in.

It’s like that in our spiritual life, as well. Can you imagine the pain and heartache we could have saved ourselves from, if only we had just stayed plugged in to Him. His power is ours if we just stay connected to Him.  Believing in Him is not enough to get rid of our hurts, habits and hang-ups.

For me it wasn’t enough to keep me from taking that bottle of painkillers or taking that drink or running headfirst into an eating disorder.  I was saved, but I wasn’t satisfied; and salvation without satisfaction is a stronghold just waiting to happen. To be satisfied with God, we must really get to know Him, to read His word, and stay connected to Him. He gives us all we need to live this life that He has given us. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” Again, we have to come to the end of ourselves and allow Him to do the very thing we cannot do alone. Truly that means anything. I love John Baker’s statement about how when we stop trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, that we’ll find Christ will stand us up on our feet!

Now that we believe, we must receive! Believe He is who He says He is, and then cry out to Him for help. Tell Him what He already knows. He just wants to hear you say it. A simple yet extremely difficult four letter word—HELP!!! He will come to your rescue, but you must be ready for change.

Ever heard the saying that God loves you just for you, but too much to leave you that way? It’s so true. Change is hard; change is scary; but change is good when we serve a good God. We must pray for the willingness to change and His answer will always be “Yes, child! Here is the willingness you asked for and the need for my power!  Here’s the plug…just use it.” Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God Who is at work within you, giving you the will and the power to achieve His purpose”. The first choice we talked about was admitting we needed Him.  The second choice—the Hope choice—is getting the help we need. What freedom we will find from our pain! We can breathe again, right?

Remember His promise? Oh how I do love this verse! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2). Whatever you are dealing with today, please know that He wants to take it from you. He is able, and more than willing, to help you change whatever needs changing. His power is readily available to you. You just have to say the words, “Help me, Jesus!  I cannot do this on my own!”

Let’s Pray:

Dear God,  we praise You today for the loving God that You are. Your patience with us and Your love for us is beyond our comprehension and so undeserved. Please help those today who need to lay some things down at Your feet to have the willingness to ask and the power to change. And for those that aren’t quite ready, again I ask for Your loving arms to protect them and keep them safe until they are. Thank You for this freedom from addiction and our own human nature. Keep us connected to You so that we may be Your hands and feet to others. We love You, and thank You for giving us Your Spirit. For it’s in Your Son’s Precious Name I pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

In what area of your life could you use God’s triple power surge and how? Remember, comments made here are public. You do have the option of signing in anonymously.

If you are interested in joining us for the online Bible study, click HERE.
Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send a private message to Kim in regards to this blog, please email her at kim@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Life’s Healing Choices: Week 1 – The Cure for Our Problems

January 9, 2013 by

 

“ The cure for our problems comes in strange forms;

it comes through admitting weakness and through a humble heart.”

John Baker

Why was this so hard for me to do? I wanted to be “normal” so badly; and be a functioning member of society. I had already lost so much. It was pretty clear to everyone around me that I was powerless over my drug addiction. Every day I said to myself “ today I flush the bottle ” I can control this. I will just cut back, taper off, I don’t have to quit all together. Do I ? Sure I’ve lost every friend I had and my husband has to pick up the pieces of this mess, but I can control this.

What a lie straight from the father of lies. If I could’ve controlled it and quit on my own I would have. The first step to freedom is simply admitting we are powerless over EVERYTHING ……I can’t, He can, I think I’ll let Him. I heard this early in my sobriety. How can something so simple be so hard? It doesn’t have to be if we hand over the power to the One Who created us. That’s really how He made us…to need Him. To let Him write out our story. To let Him run the show. We cannot control anything, truthfully. Only ourselves and I’ve proven that even that’s hard to do.

I’m taken back to a song that we sang in my childhood “they are weak but He is strong”, anyone remember? The Bible says over and over that in our weakness He is strongest. We must admit our weakness and rely only on His strength. How do we do this?

Get rid of the pride that has kept us where we are for so long. The pride that kept us from getting the help we need. Pride keeps us in our struggles and makes us completely unteachable, unchangeable, a mess. It must go for God cannot exist in a heart full of pride. So here’s where God’s grace comes in and begins the healing process. We ask Him to get rid of the ugly and fill us with the beautiful… Him. He gives us the ability to be teachable and to daily die to self and let Him have complete control. We cannot go back and change anything. As haunting as those memories can be, we have to consciously take each one and give it to God and let Him continue the work that He started in us a long while ago.

Psalm 18:18-19 says, “ they attacked me at a moment of weakness , at a moment when I was weakest, but The Lord upheld me, He lead me to a place of safety, He rescued me because He delights in me.”

Oh how He delights in YOU. Oh how He loves YOU. If you’re struggling today with a hurt, habit, or hang up, and your life is completely unmanageable, go to the One Who longs to manage it for you. Name your hurt or habit and surrender it today. He wants to give you an abundant life. A joyful life and He’s ready for you to come back.

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, We come to You today praising You for Your grace that has set us free. That when we are weak, You step in and give us Your strength. We ask You today for the courage to admit our lack of control and the willingness to hand it over to you. We are so tired of trying to go this alone. And for the ones still struggling, Lord, I pray that You wrap Your arms around them, keep them safe until they are ready to say “I can’t, You can, and I’m ready to let You.  In Jesus precious name we pray,  AMEN

Assignment:

What do you need to let go of today, to lose control of? write it down and literally place it in God’s hands. Share with the group if you wish? We are all on this road together!

 

If you are interested in joining us for this Online Bible Study, and becoming a member of our online discussion group, please click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send a private message to Kim in regards to this blog, please email her at: Kim@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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GCH_VH “Life’s Healing Choices” Gear Up!

January 4, 2013 by

Goodbye, 2012!

Hello, 2013!

We, at GCH, are so excited about our new online Bible study ministry – GCH:Victorious Healing! Our first online study begins with “Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker. We will take a close look at our hurts, habits or hang ups (HHH) and realize that God wants us to turn them over to Him – no matter how BIG they may see to us.

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Between the four of us bloggers here at GCH:VH, we have seen marriages & divorces, welcomed children, shared recovery stories, laughed at the personality quirks, and planned great things for each of you. We know what it’s like to raise children, care for family members, struggle with finances, and argue with anxiety. We come from different parts of our country: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee & Ohio. Our stories are varied, but one thing is consistent … we wouldn’t be where we are today with our God’s divine work in our lives.

Each of us brings our own level of enthusiasm & excitement for this study. Here’s what your some of the team has to say about the “Life’s Healing Choices” study.

I am so excited that you have decided to join us on the journey. God is so ready to heal our brokenness and give us the freedom to praise and worship Him – then take this news and testimony to others. But first we have to come together, lay down those hurts and habits and encourage one another. Through this study we will pray together, write about our HHH and share what God is doing in our lives. This awesome group of women will become your encourage, accountability and sisters. Welcome to each one of you. (Laurie)

Once out of rehab while in outpatient hospitalization, I went to AA for 8 months. It was good for me to go to a meeting everyday to keep my mind off of myself and out of the house. However, I had a very bad experience there. Also, it didn’t help matters I wasn’t ready to accept it was my life choices that brought me to where I was in my life. It was so much easier to blame others in life who had hurt me and using my mental illness as an excuse for my behavior. My pastor suggested Celebrate Recovery and by this time I was determined to work on myself and accept responsibility. I went there for a few months, went to therapy once a week, got involved in serving and in my small group, and dove into my Bible. About 6 months later a spot opened up at C.R. to begin the Life’s Healing Choices study. It would be a commitment 1x week for 2 hrs on Wed nights. Honestly I was doing so well, but I was afraid to reveal those hurts again. When I received my book and study guide I would feel so anxious trying to read. The book brought up hurtful emotions and also memories associated with AA. I hid those books for about 1 1/2 years. Through a friend, God told her to tell me about GCH. After the decision was made to add me to the blogging team, I learned what book we’d be studying. Who knew it would be the one I have been running from! I think God is telling me I can do this, I’m stronger and ready! So here I am. I am ready because I know God wants me to and He has confidence in me that I can and this time I’m not afraid because I know He is with me. I love how He does cool stuff like this! (Leslie)

When I first spoke with Laurie & Christi about this study, I questioned “why me?” My story & life experiences didn’t stack up to those I felt were more qualified to lead this study. I have never done drugs, or abused alcohol. So why did I need “recovery”? Through prayer, reading and pondering, I realized that God could still use me. He also revealed that I did have hurts, addictions, and so much baggage to overcome. It may not have looked like what other’s carried with them, but it was still mine and no amount of pushing it aside would make it go away. I am thrilled beyond words to be standing with Laurie, Kim & Leslie for this study. I’m excited about what God has in store for each of us. I know that my life has a purpose, all the good, bad and ugly of it. (Amy)

This study is going to be amazing; to continue the healing He started a few years back. Celebrate recovery will now be a part of my everyday quiet time with Him and His Spirit will permeate every fiber of my being. And to join each one of you is the icing on the cake!!!! This is where it all begins! (Kim)

Things you will need for the study:
The book, “Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker (click HERE to purchase,  Your purchase here, helps our ministry financially.)

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Journal or notebook

On Sunday, January 6, we will post our outline for the week. You can also find the study schedule under the “Schedule” tab at the top of this page. Each day, you will have the opportunity to be encouraged by one of our team bloggers, share your own thoughts, and grow closer to God. If you are not comfortable sharing your thoughts here in this OPEN FORUM, we do have a Secret Facebook set up to help you dig deeper into this study.  If you would like to join that Facebook Group, please click HERE to sign up.  You will be given further details, once your register.

We’re so happy to have you with us and look forward to the journey He has planned for each of us!

God bless you!

The GCH:VH Ministry Team

Life's Healing Choices<br /> by John Baker

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