December 23, 2024

Life’s Healing Choices – Weekly Review Chapter 3

January 25, 2013 by

Weekly Review

 

Realize I am not God

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, that He has the power to

help me recover

CONSCIOUSLY SCHOOSE TO COMMIT ALL MY LIFE AND WILL TO CHRIST’S
CARE AND CONROL

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Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5: 5

Wow—what a week!!  I have to admit, I was trying to review the week, got through the Scripture and got stuck.  First, I was dealing with my 11 year old all week—if there are any of you with 12 year old’s, please explain to me how you survived. 🙂

Then I was sitting down to write my blog and couldn’t get the computer to work.  Went through all the motions and commotions to reset, restart, and reboot—only to find out my 11 year old had been in the closet moving things in his “hideaway” and unplugged the internet.  Well, I asked God – “Really? What now? I haven’t a clue.”  His answer – GUESS what He said!!  You’re right, He said ‘Give him to Me.’ Hmmm.  Okay, lesson learned.

Here I was in the middle of week three, committing ALL my life and will to Christ and was still hanging on to the control.  So, as I saw the picture of the rope over the water and was reminded of the saying not to just tie a knot, but to tie a knot, hang on and swing—I was also reminded of John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Imagine, swinging on this rope, LETTING GO, and dropping into the river of living water.  As you are immersed in this water, imagine the overflowing love and care He has for us.

This week, Leslie talked with us and asked the question: What is holding you back from surrendering your problems and your life to the care of God?  Is it pride, guilt, fear, worry or doubt?   She opened her heart to us in how she was able to give her hurts and resentments to the Lord for His care.  “In the beginning, I did not think He could change me, but God did. He was going to set me free!”  Her faith in God, no matter how big or small, was setting her free. She was plunging into the river of living waters.

 “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20

Then Kim then took us on a walk, and cheered us on as we contemplated some tough questions. Kim’s poem reminded me of the definition of insanity—doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Isn’t that what we are doing when we walk the same road, expecting to find a different destination?  We must first believe in Him and His will for us, that His word is true in every sense and understand that He has given us the power to change our direction to the path He has chosen for us. Don’t you love the Scripture of Jesus standing at the door knocking?  All we have to do is open the door and He steps into our lives.  Look at the end of that scripture—we will share a meal as friends.   Ponder on that for awhile; truly amazing.

 “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

Yesterday, Amy opened up her heart and described how she stepped out of her comfort zone and through the encouragement of others, her letting go of doubt and relying on His strength and by letting go and taking the plunge, she was able to finish the race that was set before her.  Her experience gives us encouragement that no matter what challenge we may face, “God may not be physically visible & touchable in our lives.  But He is still there giving us the encouragement, the strength, and the ‘YOU CAN DO IT’ that we need.”

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

This scripture is a promise that, when we do totally surrender and allow Him to take the care and control of our lives, He will give us rest.  We serve a King who stepped out of heaven for us.  Who because of His unfathomable love for us, came to earth and suffered, so we would not have to.  Sure, we will have trials, troubles and fall, but we can get back up every time just as Proverbs 24:16 says “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.“ 

It is not an easy task to turn over ALL care and control.  In our human nature we want to make sure things are done right.  Remember the saying, ‘if you want something done right, do it yourself?’  But aren’t you tired of being tired all the time?  Being that Little Engine That Could and having to chug all the way up the hill time and time again?  Are you ready to tie the knot, swing, and plunge into the rivers of living water?

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Let’s Pray:

Father, we come to You today with humble hearts.  We have tried for so long to do things on our own and are asking now for Your help.  Guide us and direct us down the path that You have chosen for us; help us not to stray or fall.  If we should fall, Lord, we know that Your word says that a righteous man may fall but will rise each time.  We thank You for that, Father, that we can rise each time with Your power that is within us.  Father, we do commit our lives to You, we lay our burdens at Your feet.  Father, I thank You for each one that has opened her heart to You; protect us, teach us and I ask that each one feel Your unfailing love as they step out of their comfort zone and plunge into Your living waters.  In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen!!

Your Assignment:

After reading this blog, hop over to our Facebook page and let us know if, after week 3, you have been able to admit, believe and commit.  Each one of us is at a different step; and part of this study is to share how God is working in your life and what is difficult for you.  We are here to encourage each other! Remember, comments made here are public. You do have the option of commenting anonymously.

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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 Laurie in regards to this blog, please email her at Laurie@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

 

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Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 3 – “Letting Go” – The Commitment Choice

January 21, 2013 by

Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

Matthew5_5

Good morning ladies, we have admitted we are powerless to control our lives and that we are not God.  We also acknowledged God exists, we matter to Him and that He has the power to help us recover.  His word says, “ Come to Me, ALL who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.  I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30.

So, WHAT’S HOLDING US BACK?  What is keeping us from letting go and letting God? What is stopping us from receiving that peace that surpasses ALL understanding?  His Word says that even the winds and the sea obey Him.  He healed lepers, caused the blind to see and the lame to walk. When His beloved Peter kept his eyes on Him, he walked upon the water.  The grass grows, trees sway in the wind, waves hit the shore and mountains reach into the clouds.  So – again, WHAT’S HOLDING US BACK?

In Life’s Healing Choices, John Baker talks of five things that keep us from making the choice to surrender total care and control to the One True God:

  •       Pride
  •       Guilt
  •       Fear
  •       Worry
  •       Doubt

Let’s take one at a time:

Pride, what a powerful word.  When  I see the word pride, the scripture that comes to mind is Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  It is often times we think we can do things on our own, we don’t need help.  I know because I continued thinking I could walk away from the lifestyle I chose on my own, only to fall within a few days – sometimes hours.  When I surrendered completely to Him, humbled myself and realized without God I could do nothing, He took the desires away.  He restored relationships I had destroyed and showed me His unfailing love.  I would like to share a song He used to bring me into the reality of how awesome He is – that as we turn to Him, he runs to us – still amazes me today!! http://youtu.be/NBzcOGydUaA    – we only need to seek Him.

Guilt and shame can break our spirits.  John Baker asks the question – have you tried to make deals with God?  Have you asked for His help so many times, you may be embarrassed to ask again.  Maybe you think if you don’t ask for help, He won’t know you need it.  I have done all the above – actually tried to hide things out of guilt.  Like He didn’t know what was going on.  He knows ALL!!  He wants to forgive us and take away the shame – His desire is for us to live a life of abundance.  “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 – we only need to seek Him.

How many of us have stood in paralyzing fear?  Fear that our children would not recover? Fear that we could lose our job? Fear that we didn’t know where our next dollars would come from? Fear of someone coming into our home that was not invited? Fear of finding our way home safely? Fear, fear, fear!!!  We live in a world of fear – economy, safety and health.  I know in my life, I feared that people would ‘find me out.’  That they would see who I really was.  I thought I had control, yet lived in fear every day.  When we place our belief in the One True God, He promises to take those fears. “I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 – we only need to seek Him.

Worry is a word that was often used within my family.  I grew up with a mom, grandmothers and sisters who all worried from one day to the next what was going to happen.  As I sit here and think of that, I look at a sign my mom had in her living room for years – “One day at a time.”  Oh, I know that is a popular saying, but how many of us actually do live one day at a time.  Again I will take you to His word, in Matthew 6, Jesus was speaking to the multitudes about worry.  He tells of how God takes care of the birds of the air, the lilies of the field – that we should not worry of what we eat, drink or wear.  “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6: 32-34)  He is willing and DOES care for us and provides all that is necessary – we only need to  seek Him.

Is my faith too small?  I have asked myself that question.  Do you doubt why God would help you?  Why would the Most High, Omnipotent God look at me and say – “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move: and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)  Jairus went to Jesus with a request that any one of us as mothers would ask…”Please heal my child”.  Jairus had doubts, he asked for help with his unbelief.  What was Jesus’ response? “Do not be afraid; only believe” (Mark 5:36) and the girl was restored to life.  We only need to seek Him and believe.  Lord, help us believe!!

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Let’s Pray:

Most gracious Father, You have given us so many promises to grab hold of.  Oh that we would believe whole-heartedly.  That we would be able to go through each day knowing You will care for every little thing in our lives.  Your Word says You do, it is us that falls short.  Father, I ask that each one in this study would seek You and feel Your presence, that we would all lay down the pride, guilt, fear, worry or doubt that we have throughout our lives.  Let us make the decision to open our lives to Your total care and control.  Although we don’t see where You will take us, we know this is the right thing.  Give us the strength and faith, even as tiny as a mustard seed, to take one day at a time with You, knowing we matter so much to You and that Your love for us is unfailing.  We give You all the glory and honor – In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!

Your Assignment:

Let us know what is keeping you from turning total care and control over to Him?  What does living one day at a time mean to you? Remember, all comments on this blog are public.  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 Laurie in regards to this blog, please email her at laurie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

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Life’s Healing Choices – Chapter 2 Review

January 18, 2013 by

Realize I am not God

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, that He has the power to help me recover.

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“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

 

In the first chapter, we admitted we were powerless.  Now in the second chapter, we come to believe God exists, that we ARE important to Him and that we are capable to receive His power to help us to recover.  All we have to do is believe and receive.  In the second chapter we find the hope in Christ alone through His promises: “He will bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

On Tuesday, Leslie talked with us about 3 amazing truths about God: That God exists; you matter to Him; and He has the power to help you. From the beginning of Creation, we have acknowledged that God exists—just take a look at the stars, the mountains, the oceans—all the magnificent artwork of a God who loves us enough to splash beauty all around us. Ok, so we believe He exists but do we really believe we matter to Him?  Leslie did a beautiful job showing us through His word and David’s psalms that yes, we matter so much that God keeps track of all my sorrows. “He has collected all my tears in His bottle and has recorded each one in His book.”Psalm 56:8

Wednesday, Kim gave us a reality check on keeping plugged into God’s power.  After all, do we really think we can run our TV’s, computers, game stations, ovens, microwaves, or coffee pots without power?  How do we then expect God to answer our prayers and pleas for help without being plugged into Him?  Knowing who He is and believing His promises: “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

On Thursday, Amy took us through praying for God to fill us with His love, let His power wash over us and heal our hurts, habits or hang ups.  Then we began learning the importance of writing about what God is doing in your life through this study, so you can look back and are encouraged as you journey through the eight choices.  Finally, sharing with each other along the way.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17   We are to encourage one another through our walk. We will run into times when we do not want to deal with issues we are facing. However, through accountability and sharing throughout the study, others will encourage you to press on toward the finish.  Receive what God has in store for you.

I want to encourage you with another promise from His word:

 

Verse 5 goes on to say “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  I will never leave you nor forsake you.”   What amazing promises of hope we have studied and learned this week.

 

“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”

— Joshua 1:3 —

Let’s Pray:

Most gracious and loving Father, we are so overwhelmed by the fact that we matter so much to You that You give us a crown of beauty. You record our tears and that You will never leave us nor forsake us.  Father, as we begin to lay down our hurts and habits, and trust You will heal our hearts, please give us the courage to change what we know we can and let You change what we cannot.  Give us wisdom and strength to finish this journey and endure while the miracles happen! We give all the glory and honor to You.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen!!

Your Assignment:

As you go into the weekend, I would challenge you to search who you really believe God is.  What are some of His characteristics. Share your thoughts.  Then how can your relationship with God help you face the areas you need to turn over to Him?  Remember, comments made here are public. You do have the option of signing in anonymously.

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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 Laurie in regards to this blog, please email her at laurie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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“Life’s Healing Choices” – Getting Help – The Hope Choice

January 14, 2013 by

Psalm62_5

 

In our first week, we prayed for God to give us the courage and willingness to admit we are powerless.  As you admitted you are powerless, how did it impact your life last week?  When I began admitting that I am NOT God and I am powerless, I went through a multitude of emotions: anger, sadness, guilt, relief and indifference.  Turning over the control of my life was taking the life, as I had known for years, and realizing it was a false system of belief.  I had to accept the changes I needed to make. This week we are going to talk about what happens after we realize those changes need to be made.  We may begin to mourn our past mistakes and even mourn the fact that we have turned our control over to God. Some of you may say, FORGET IT!! I will admit I am not God, I mean, everyone knows they aren’t God.  But this – it’s painful.

Let’s stop right here and look at the title to this chapter – Getting Help, The Hope Choice.  Ok, that sounds a little better.  Then go to the E in RECOVERY which is Earnestly believe that God exists ( yes I can do that) and the I matter to Him (so glad about that) and that He has the power to help me recover (I sure hope so).  It is at this point that we search and find access that He is the One that wants to fill our lives with love, joy and peace.  He wants us to feel His presence as we begin to let go of more and more of the hurts we have experienced by our habits or hang-ups. Matthew 5:4 is the scripture that tags this step – ‘Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’ It is His comfort we are seeking and only Him that will offer the healing and VICTORY over our hurts, habits and hang-ups.

One of the biggest issues I went through when I was letting go of my past was the guilt and shame.  I had enough ‘I wishes: I wish I hadn’t made my sons live in the environment I chose; I wish I hadn’t hurt my family; I wish I hadn’t left my marriage; I wish I hadn’t alienated myself from my friends and family; etc, etc. etc.  I could write a book on 1001 “I wishes” you don’t want to have.  But as I kept saying I wish, God kept telling me to quit wishing on my past and believe in His promise. Isaiah 61:7 says: ‘Instead of their shame, my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.’  What an amazing promise to believe in God loves us so much, we are going to receive double our portion and have everlasting joy. He will comfort us, restore what we may have lost and give us joy.

When we continue to live in our habits or hurts, we are trying to drown out something in our lives or hide what we don’t want brought to light. We would rather sit back and ignore the issue.  The reality in the book about the fire alarm brought this home for me.  If the fire alarm went off, would I simply sit there and wait for it to stop, while everything around me disintegrated?  That is exactly what we do when we try to cover up our hurts, habits or hang-ups with food, alcohol, anger, work or other addictions. All the things around us disintegrate: relationships, finances, work, anything in our lives that stand in the way of our cover up.  I know for myself, when I was living the lifestyle I chose, I was a workaholic, single mom going to school and perfectionist within my home.  There was not an item out of place, my kids stayed involved (so I would have more to do), I was doing online classes for my degree and working 70-80 hours per week.  That way I had NO time to look at the addictions in my own life. And if someone said, “I am praying for you,”  I told them what for? I am fine – then would go into a long list of why my life was so ‘fine.’  I didn’t need anyone’s help and really did not need God’s help. I was choosing things of the world, not the things of my God.

I remember someone telling me, ‘the love of the world will squeeze out the love of the Father.’ That’s exactly what I was doing.  God had to get my attention.  And that He did.  I had gone through every one of the denial busters:  I was wound tight from over work, damaging relationships with family and friends and was beginning to have medical issues. I had to begin admitting I was not in control and turn it all over to Him.  I believed at the time, but had not let Him manage my life.  As I did, God started taking me from brokenness to completeness, from hurt to healing and then to Victory over all things in my past.  As we begin to admit, He offers hope for that change in our lives.  Don’t quit before His healing happens. The hope and help God offers is steps away – He will stay with us each step of the way until Victory.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6.

The hope we search for is found in Christ alone.

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Let’s Pray:

Father, we thank You so much that You are our hope. That by Your grace alone, we can find comfort and healing through our struggles.  Father, as we continue this week together, help us to continue letting You manage our lives.  Help us to find the strength to bring our hurts, habits and hang-ups and lay them at Your feet.  To be honest Lord, there are times when we may not feel like giving up our comfort or we may not understand what it is we are to give to You.  Bring clarity and peace to our lives Father, that peace that surpasses all understanding as we put our trust in You. We praise You for what You have done and are about to do in our lives.  We give all the glory and honor to You.  In Jesus Name, Amen

Assignment:

After reading this blog comment on below and/or go to our Facebook Group and comment on:  how you handle pain or disappointment.  Also, are there areas of your life you are now beginning to face reality and break your denial?  If so, what are those areas?

If you are interested in joining us for this Online Bible Study, and becoming a member of our Facebook 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 Laurie in regards to this blog, please email her at: Laurie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Life’s Healing Choices – Chapter 1 Review

January 11, 2013 by

I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.  “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.”

Matthew 5:3

Wow!!   Ouch!!  Yikes!!  Ugh!!  And many other exclamations of dread, fear, sadness, frustration, pain, weak, I can’t.   All of those we have thought of and even said throughout this week.  Having gone through this study before, let me assure you – this is the hardest week.  Actually having to sit back and begin thinking of the hurts, habits or hang-ups we have endured is difficult.  But also, let me say – admitting that we are weak and He is strong will bring a freedom to your life that will be worth every moment of this study.   

Day 1: We talked about our tendency to do wrong – even when we don’t really want to.  What do we do when we realize our lives have become unmanageable? We put on a mask – after all, no one will really know, right? We control our image, others and our problems.  “I can handle it.” Wrong!! That didn’t work so what do we turn to? We become superhuman and believe we can fix it all by ourselves – only to find out that our issues just get worse.  I loved the part in the book that had us visualize God saying, “Hi, I’m God and you’re not.”  We need to get to the point where we realize He is God and we are not.  Say to yourself, I am not God, I need God.  The God that made the universe and everything within it, He sees all, knows all and heals all.  We simply have to admit and ask. 

Day 2: Once we realized our issues were controlling our lives we discussed the consequences to these issues.  Many of us said we identified with more than one of the f’s: fear, frustration, fatigue and failure.  They all really fall one after the other, don’t you think?  We are fearful that someone will find out who we really are which is frustrating. Then I don’t know about you, but all of the games I played and trying to keep my “secret life”  secret was extremely tiring.  Then when I realized I could not control things anymore, I felt as a failure.  It is a vicious cycle.  One we all need to jump off of.  You need to ask yourself are you going to let your past fears, frustrations, fatigue or failures to determine your future?  Or are you going to turn them over to the One who can heal.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 3:13-14

Day 3:  Wow, I don’t know about you but sometimes when I look at finding the cure for “ME,” it stands right up there with finding a needle in a haystack.  “We have to take that first step to freedom and admit we are powerless over EVERYTHING ……I can’t, He can, I think I’ll let Him.”  Love this saying and have said it since Kim wrote in her blog. Simple, isn’t it?  We make it so hard – He really wants for us to admit our hurt, habit or hang-up, humbly come to Him and allow Him to manage our life.  This week we have learned that we are powerless of our past, we cannot control others and have you really been good at coping with your hurts, habits or hang-ups?  I know I have not. 

When I was in Celebrate Recovery after leaving the gay lifestyle behind, one of the first images I got was that of laying down that life and moving into being recovered by Christ.  Imagine when you have an old couch or chair, you recover it.  The dirty, tattered and torn is gone and replaced by a beautiful, fresh and new piece.  That is what God will do.  When we admit we cannot control our tendency to do the wrong thing and truly ask Him to manage our lives, He will give us that beautiful, fresh and new start.  We no longer have to look in the mirror and see a dirty, tattered and torn image – but we can see the image of Christ in us, a reflection of Him!! We move out of recovery into VICTORY!! What a joy to receive His healing. 

I hope you will enjoy this song by Michael W. Smith   

 

 

 

 

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Let’s Pray:

Father, I come to You today and stand with every woman who has made the decision to take this study.  Father, we know there are areas in our lives that we need to surrender to You. We have made the decision to lay down our control and ask You to manage our lives. Heal our hurts, help us to walk away from those past issues.  Lord, as we continue this weekend in preparation to learn about Your hope, fill us with Your love, let Your healing rain wash over our lives.  You are an amazing God and we love You.  We give all the glory and honor to You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Assignment: 

How do you think admitting you are powerless will help you?  Share one of the statements or areas in the book or blog that helped you through this week. 

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 Laurie in regards to this blog, please email her at: Laurie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com 


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Life’s Healing Choices – The Cause of Our Problems

January 7, 2013 by

Isaiah 43_18

When I was in the alternative lifestyle, my life was like a yo-yo.  I knew I was wrong, however chose to continue.  Then one day I would realize I needed to change and would say to myself, ‘okay, this is it.  I am don’t need this anymore.’ I would walk away on my own, thinking I was strong, only to fall right back due to a bad day.  1 Corinthians 10:12 says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”  That is exactly what I would do, I would rely on myself and fall flat on my face. I would think it was all okay because I kept everything private. As long as no one got hurt, right?  Wrong – this went on for years. In-out-in-out… the whole time I was thinking as long as I go to church, believe and don’t hurt others all is good.  Go ahead, ‘eat that fruit.’

One time I tried going to church more – look the part. I would get to know people, let them see my compassionate, ‘christian’ side before I told them the truth.  I was miserable, but I didn’t want any help. Afterall, I am a social worker, I can counsel anyone, so why would I need counseling.  I was a single mom, working full-time, going to school, raising my son and taking care of my brother – I didn’t have time to slow down and look at my own problems. I had become so accustomed to my life, my behavior became who I was.  I was afraid to find out who I really was… I didn’t deserve any better. I was in denial.

Whether we have been hurt or have hurt others, used alcohol or drugs to get through the day, eaten our way through stressful situations, lied to stay out of trouble or had a sexual addiction to comfort ourselves, God is always willing to give us the strength to ‘Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past,’ Isaiah 43:18.  The start of our journey is to admit we are not God.  That we have NO power to change to do the right thing without Him.  Are you ready to get this journey started?

Prayer:

Father, I thank You for every woman who has begun this study.  Thank You that in our weaknesses, You are made strong.  It is hard to let go of our past comforts – help us to not let go of Your hand as You guide us down this path of recovery. Give us the courage to admit and realize that without You we cannot make these changes. We pray for peace, trust and the knowledge that You will be there through it all – we just need to ask. Thank You Father and bless each one here today, in Jesus’ precious name we pray – Amen.

Assignment:

It isn’t easy to change habits, hurts or struggles, even if they are bad habits.  Is there a hurt you are hanging onto? What are you afraid to change? Bring your discussions to the table.

IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE SHARING IN THIS PUBLIC FORUM, A SECRET FACEBOOK GROUP IS AVAILABLE TO YOU TO HELP YOU DIG DEEPER INTO THIS STUDY.  For more information, please visit us HERE, and sign up for this study.  Once we receive your request, we will email you further instructions.

If you are interested in emailing Laurie in regards to this blog, please send it to:  Laurie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

 

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Life’s Healing Choices – Week 1 – Admitting Need

January 6, 2013 by

“Each of our lives is tangled up with hurts that haunt our hearts, hang-ups that cause us pain, and habits that mess up our lives.” (Baker, page 1)

Ouch! What a sting those simple words can bring. And immediately I begin the defense – I’m only hurt because of what other people did to me. I don’t have hang-ups, that’s just the way I am. Habits? They’re coping skills necessary to deal with life & the people around me. We’ve all done it, allowing the behaviors and attitudes to continue.

But hope is here! January 2013 marks not only a new year, but a new journey in your life. It’s a time for change … to shed the habits, hurts & hang-ups that affect your relationships, your life, and your walk with Christ. Using the book “Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker as our discussion tool, the GCH: Victorious Healing ministry will lead you on this journey to joyful change, freedom, and blessings only He can provide to us.

RECOVERY. What comes to your mind when you see or hear this word? Do you brush it off as something only addicts or alcoholics deal with? Or do you think only of illness, surgery or other physical ailments? The truth is very simple. We all have hurts in our life that require healing. Some of us choose to symptomatically treat our hurts with food, chemical substances, spending sprees, toxic relationships, and more. But true healing, not just masking of symptoms, is possible only through the power of Christ in our lives. RECOVERY.

There are eight basic principles we will uncover during our study together:

  • Realize I am not God.
  • Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me. Consciously choose to commit my life and will to Christ’s care & control.
  • Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust.
  • Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life.
  • Evaluate all my relationships.
  • Reserve a daily time with God.
  • Yield myself to God to be used to bring His love & Good News to others.

What areas of your life do you have power (control) over? What areas of your life are spinning out of control? What coping skills do you use to get attention, or protect yourself? How do you handle pain & disappointment? What hinders our ability to admit our need for change, or help?

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” (Invictus by Henley). What comes to mind when you read those words? For me, it’s a sad commentary on how many of us live our lives. So often we believe we can handle our lives on our own. We determine our futures and no one will keep us from doing what we want, dream, or desire. Our decisions will only affect us. No one can tell us what to do.  But this idea is what causes so much of our pain. Until we realize that we are not in control of our lives, and allow God to do what He intended for us, our pains, hurts, habits, and hang-ups will continue.

Are you ready to “let go, and let God”?

In “Studies in the Sermon on the Mount” by Oswald Chambers “There must be a dominant, personal, passionate devotion to Him, and only then are all other relationships right.”

God tells us “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there” (Jeremiah 6:14 TLB). How many times do we try to ignore our hurts by saying we’re fine, or nothing’s wrong? How often do we try to tend to issues by our own power because we don’t want to burden others, or appear weak or “out of control?”Denial only hinders our growth more, freezing us in our pain, insecurities, and worry even more. Denial encourages us to keep secrets as we continue to pretend that our lives are going well. Denial brings shame, anxiety, and a false sense of protection from our pain.

The admission of our powerlessness is the first step on our journey. From here, we need to leave to stop denying our pain. There’s only one God, and you ain’t Him, so stop trying to control your life as if you are.

God promises so much more.

  • Light in our darkness (1 John 1:5-7).
  • Rescue from the darkness (Ps 107:13-14).
  • Healing from our pain (Jeremiah 30:17).

So, join us this week as we explore this principle deeper. Instead of packing for a journey, get ready to unpack all that baggage you’ve been carrying around! But I warn you, this journey won’t be an easy one. However, I promise that we have the best Guide with us because He promises to never leave us, nor forsake us. Ever!

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Reading Assignment for Week 1:

Chapter 1 of Life’s Healing Choices
Monday: Laurie will discuss Principle 1
Tuesday: Leslie will discuss The Cause of our Problems
Wednesday: Kim will discuss The Cure for our Problems
Thursday: Amy will discuss Make The Choice, Action Steps to make it real in your life
Friday: Laurie will bring it all back home with a recap of our week

Ps6_2-3

Restoration is possible. Will you move towards this for your life … today?

_________

Principle 1 Power Verses:
Jeremiah 6:14
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Job 30:27
Romans 7:15-17
Proverbs 14:12
Job 17:11
Psalm 6:6-7
2 Corinthians 1:9

If you would like to join this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send Amy a personal message in regards to today’s blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

 

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Announcing our Brand New GCH: Victorious Healing Online Bible Study

December 2, 2012 by

Through life, we often think recovery is only for alcoholics or drug addicts. Regardless of what issue you may be struggling with in life, whether it is financially, emotionally, through chemical dependency, sexual addictions, food issues, lying, depression, anxiety (just to name a few), we all have a hurt or a struggle that causes us pain and hinders our walk with God.

‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’  

Romans 3:23  

There is not a struggle or hurt that is greater or lesser than the other; just as there is no one sinner worse than the other. We all need God’s hope, healing and recovery through these hurts.

So many times we try to fix our problems ourselves, finding that we turn right back to the comfort of our faulty coping skills. This blog will help you realize that no matter what your hurt or struggle may be, God wants to give you hope and healing if you will trust and allow Him to. With the blogs, studies and fellowship of this group, you will have the opportunity to begin to feel the freedom and peace of healing from your hurts and struggles.

We are excited you have decided to join us on this journey- so grab your cup of coffee and get ready for the ride!

Our first GCH: Victorious Healing

Online Bible Study

begins January 6, 2013!

Life's Healing Choicesby John Baker

Life’s Healing Choices
by John Baker

This 8 week study takes the 8 Beatitudes from one of Jesus’ most famous sermons, the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5: 3-10. Through the principles outlined in the beatitudes, you will find the hope, healing and happiness God has intended for you. The book outlines how you can leave your past hurts and struggles behind and begin to rely on God to help you focus on the amazing future He has planned for you.   

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To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions.  You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study.  We’re looking forward to studying “Life’s Healing Choices” with you!!  

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