{"id":8501,"date":"2013-01-27T00:12:21","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T05:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=8501"},"modified":"2013-01-26T12:28:45","modified_gmt":"2013-01-26T17:28:45","slug":"lifes-healing-choices-chaper-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/01\/27\/lifes-healing-choices-chaper-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 4 – The Housecleaning Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I do not like you Chapter 4.
\nI do not wish to read you anymore.<\/p>\n

No taking notes, or digging deep
\nMy hurts and pains I wish to keep.<\/p>\n

Keep hidden, that is and never known.
\nJust the thought of them makes me groan!<\/p>\n

I do not like this anymore,
\nMaybe if I stop reading, my head won’t be so sore.<\/p>\n

Ah but I know this is not to be.
\nMoving forward is what He asks of me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ok, so I am not a poet. Please forgive me! LOL<\/em><\/p>\n

Sitting down to write the introduction for chapter 4, I was hit by many thoughts and reasons why I wasn\u2019t going to write about it. Quite honestly, the mere thought of what\u2019s ahead for us brings up anxiety and a strong desire to flee as if my hair were on fire. I\u2019ve argued with myself all morning \u2026 do I really have to write about this? What if I let it slide for one day? Who will really miss THIS lesson?<\/p>\n

The Housekeeping Choice: Coming Clean<\/strong>. Just the title is enough to make me squirm! How about you?<\/p>\n

This week we will look at Choice 4<\/strong>: Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Ugh \u2026 really? Haven\u2019t I already done enough to address my hurts, habits & hang-ups? You really expect me to go THERE? I\u2019m supposed to think about the father who walked out on my mom & me when I was 4, only to return via phone call 6 years later. Hmm, not much fun there. I\u2019m supposed to think about the ex-husband who caused more hurt & pain to me & his family and how it affected me. Uh, yeah, that\u2019s another good one. Oh wait, I\u2019m supposed to look at myself and how I had an affair during my first marriage. It just gets better and better, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

But wait! Matthew 5:8 NLT tells us \u201cGod blesses those whose hearts are pure.\u201d What comes to mind when you hear \u201cpure heart\u201d? I like the way The Message puts it\u00a0\"GCH_Matt5_8\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On page 102, Baker writes \u201cIf we are ever to recover from the hurts, hang-ups, and habits in our lives and know the joy of a pure heart, we\u2019ll have to learn how to let go of our guilt and shame, and how to gain a clear conscience.\u201d Are you ready to put your heart & mind right so that you can see God in the outside world?<\/p>\n

So no matter how much I don\u2019t want to do chapter 4 (did you expect a study leader to ever say something like that?), I see this chapter as being a critical part of our recovery. Before I can fully understand my behavior patterns and triggers of today, I need to understand some about my yesterdays. I need to forgive myself for the choices I\u2019ve made, just as I need to forgive those who brought me pain.<\/p>\n

Psalm 32:12 The Message:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be\u2014 you get a fresh start, your slate\u2019s wiped clean.<\/p>\n

Count yourself lucky\u2014 God holds nothing against you and you\u2019re holding nothing back from him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And, the same passage from The New Living:<\/strong>
\n\u201cOh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you just love the hope we\u2019re giving in this passage? A clean slate, nothing held against us, complete honesty<\/strong><\/em>. Oh, how I want this for my life \u2026 and yours!<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see this week what guilt does to us, and how to move past it. There\u2019s so much packed in to this chapter, I\u2019m thinking maybe we should have given two weeks to it! Baker tells us (page 105), \u201cChoice 4 is the one that brings our painful past out in the open so we can deal with it, be cleansed of it, and then move on to health and happiness.\u201d It is this hope that gives me the strength to face chapter 4. Hope in the health & happiness that I\u2019ll find on the other side.<\/p>\n

So as you all prepare for the coming week, please know that any apprehensions and fears you may have are shared. We\u2019re getting in to the meat of the process, and it\u2019s not all going to be pretty. But in the midst of the muck, just remember the glory & hope that awaits us all.<\/p>\n

1 Peter 5:10 NCV: \u201cAnd after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives all grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and support you and keep you from falling. He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever. \u201c<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go, my friends, side by side we\u2019ll travel through chapter 4. Spring cleaning will start early this year, but what joys await when we\u2019re finished!<\/p>\n

\n

Reading Assignment for Week 4: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter 4: “The Housecleaning Choice”
\nMonday: Laurie will discuss Principle 4: The Housecleaning Choice
\nTuesday: Leslie will discuss Moving Past (Part 1 \u2013 steps 1, 2 & 3)
\nWednesday: Kim will discuss Moving Past (Part 1 \u2013 steps 4 & 5)
\nThursday: Amy will discuss Make The Choice & Moral Inventory
\nFriday: Laurie will bring it all back home with a recap of our week<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Let\u2019s Pray:<\/strong>
\nLord, I admit that the information from chapter 4 brings apprehension and an element of self-protection & pride. I feel myself becoming anxious and defensive at the mere thought of going through this process. But I know You love me and want only the best for my life. I trust in Your word that You will make me strong, support me, and keep me from falling. This is a promise given to all who know You and call You, Lord. Bless the hearts of the ladies in this study. Keep them focused on the tasks ahead. Do not allow them to be discouraged but to always hold firm to You. Amen.<\/p>\n

Power Verses for Chapter 3:<\/strong>
\nMatthew 5:8
\nPsalm 32:1-2
\nLamentations 3:40
\n1 Peter 5:10<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***************<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are interested in joining us for this amazing Online Bible Study, click HERE<\/a> to sign up. \u00a0Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.<\/p>\n

If you would like to send a private email to Amy in regards to this blog, please email her at:<\/p>\n

Amy@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I do not like you Chapter 4. I do not wish to read you anymore. No taking notes, or digging deep My hurts and pains I wish to keep. Keep hidden, that is and never known. Just the thought of them makes me groan! I do not like this anymore, Maybe if I stop reading, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":8553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[22],"tags":[1563,90,147,416,425,480,518,570,1571,608,662,1562,9298],"class_list":["post-8501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-victorious-healing","tag-1-peter-510","tag-amy-butterfield","tag-bible-study","tag-gchvictorious-healing","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-healing","tag-hope","tag-john-baker","tag-lamentations-340","tag-lifes-healing-choices","tag-matthew-58","tag-psalm-321-2","tag-victorious-healing","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/GCH_Matt5_8.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-2d7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8501"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8558,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8501\/revisions\/8558"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}