{"id":7180,"date":"2013-01-11T00:01:24","date_gmt":"2013-01-11T05:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=7180"},"modified":"2013-01-25T11:33:03","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T16:33:03","slug":"lifes-healing-choices-chapter-1-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/01\/11\/lifes-healing-choices-chapter-1-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Life’s Healing Choices – Chapter 1 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. \u00a0<\/strong>\u201cHappy are those who know they are spiritually poor.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew 5:3<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wow!!\u00a0 \u00a0Ouch!! \u00a0Yikes!! \u00a0Ugh!!\u00a0 And many other exclamations of dread, fear, sadness, frustration, pain, weak, I can\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 All of those we have thought of and even said throughout this week.\u00a0 Having gone through this study before, let me assure you \u2013 this is the hardest week.\u00a0 Actually having to sit back and begin thinking of the hurts, habits or hang-ups we have endured is difficult.\u00a0 But also, let me say \u2013 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.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Day 1<\/strong>: We talked about our tendency to do wrong \u2013 even when we don\u2019t really want to.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 \u201cI can handle it.\u201d Wrong!! That didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0 I loved the part in the book that had us visualize God saying, \u201cHi, I\u2019m God and you\u2019re not.\u201d\u00a0 We need to get to the point where we realize He is God and we are not. \u00a0Say to yourself, I am not God, I need God.\u00a0 The God that made the universe and everything within it, He sees all, knows all and heals all.\u00a0 We simply have to admit and ask.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Day 2<\/strong>: Once we realized our issues were controlling our lives we discussed the consequences to these issues.\u00a0 Many of us said we identified with more than one of the f\u2019s: fear, frustration, fatigue and failure.\u00a0 They all really fall one after the other, don\u2019t you think?\u00a0 We are fearful that someone will find out who we really are which is frustrating. Then I don\u2019t know about you, but all of the games I played and trying to keep my \u201csecret life\u201d \u00a0secret was extremely tiring.\u00a0 Then when I realized I could not control things anymore, I felt as a failure.\u00a0 It is a vicious cycle.\u00a0 One we all need to jump off of.\u00a0 You need to ask yourself are you going to let your past fears, frustrations, fatigue or failures to determine your future?\u00a0 Or are you going to turn them over to the One who can heal. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Philippians 3:13-14<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Day 3<\/strong>:\u00a0 Wow, I don\u2019t know about you but sometimes when I look at finding the cure for \u201cME,\u201d it stands right up there with finding a needle in a haystack.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u201cWe have to take that first step to freedom and admit we are powerless over EVERYTHING<\/strong><\/em> \u2026\u2026I can\u2019t, He can, I think I\u2019ll let Him<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Love this saying and have said it since Kim wrote in her blog. Simple, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 We make it so hard \u2013 He really wants for us to admit our hurt, habit or hang-up, humbly come to Him and allow Him to manage our life.\u00a0 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?\u00a0 I know I have not.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Imagine when you have an old couch or chair, you recover it.<\/span>\u00a0 The dirty, tattered and torn is gone and replaced by a beautiful, fresh and new piece.\u00a0 That is what God will do.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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<\/strong><\/em>!! What a joy to receive His healing<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I hope you will enjoy this song by Michael W. Smith \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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