{"id":8811,"date":"2013-02-03T00:01:05","date_gmt":"2013-02-03T05:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=8811"},"modified":"2013-02-02T18:31:37","modified_gmt":"2013-02-02T23:31:37","slug":"lifes-healing-choices-chapter-5-the-transformation-reading-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/02\/03\/lifes-healing-choices-chapter-5-the-transformation-reading-assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 5 – The Transformation (Reading Assignment)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Choice 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGod blesses those people who want to obey Him more than to eat or drink.\u00a0 They will be given what they want!\u201d (Matthew 5:6 CEV)<\/p>\n

The hardest part for those of us who like to be in control of our circumstances (and lives) is surrendering ALL to His authority, and being willing to submit to EVERY change He brings to us.\u00a0 John Baker starts Chapter 5 by describing how it\u2019s against our nature to change our behaviors.\u00a0 It\u2019s so much easier to keep doing what we\u2019ve been doing.\u00a0 It\u2019s been said that changing a habit takes around 30 days of consistent behavior to make it stick.\u00a0 How many of us actually try for that long?\u00a0 Here we are in February, how many of you are holding firm to the New Year\u2019s resolutions you made?<\/p>\n

The scars we bear from our life experiences did not happen overnight, and we cannot expect change to be rapid.\u00a0 Over the past four weeks, we\u2019ve been preparing our hearts and minds for the changes God wants to do in our lives.\u00a0 He\u2019s been working in us through this time, but it\u2019s also been a time of preparation.\u00a0 Romans 12:1, 2 says that we are to \u201cbe a living and holy sacrifice\u2014the kind He will find acceptable…let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God\u2019s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect\u201d (NLT).<\/p>\n

Do you take the time to read a passage in different translations?\u00a0 Sometimes you can get more insight, clarification, and direction by what the various translations offer. \u00a0From The Message<\/span>, we read the same passage in Romans, \u201cSo here\u2019s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your every day, ordinary life\u2014your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life\u2014and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don\u2019t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You\u2019ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

How awesome is that?\u00a0 God is helping us.\u00a0 God wants the best for us.\u00a0 He will change us inside and out.\u00a0 Another promise of The Father we can hold on to when we don\u2019t think we can keep on this journey.<\/p>\n

Chapter 5 will discuss where our character defects come from, why it takes so long to get rid of them, and how we cooperate with God during this transformation process.\u00a0 A key point for me in this process is to remember my identity in Christ, who He says I am.\u00a0 Baker says, \u201cNotice their identity is in their belief in Christ\u2026they do not allow character defects to become their identity\u201d (pp 133, 134).<\/p>\n

Almost 17 years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.\u00a0 It\u2019s a chronic pain syndrome that many don\u2019t fully understand.\u00a0 Even with almost 11 years together, my husband still doesn\u2019t \u201cget it” on many days, though he has learned to be more patient and tolerant of my episodes.\u00a0 Pain, muscle tenderness, weakness and tingling are common place for me.\u00a0 On a daily basis something hurts, usually my back, hips\u00a0and shoulders.\u00a0 But I also get tingling\u00a0and swelling in my feet\u00a0and hands; and fatigue…oh boy, do I get tired!\u00a0 Some days I feel like I over-exerted myself the day before.\u00a0 Other days, I feel like I\u2019m battling the worst flu virus ever.\u00a0 And, the only thing I can do is manage symptoms; there is no cure.\u00a0 I have medications to take.\u00a0 I give in to the afternoon nap.\u00a0 I opt to sit as an observer than push my body in an activity I know I\u2019ll regret later. \u00a0I get massages (much too infrequently) from a therapist who knows how to treat my body.\u00a0 And, I try to enjoy walking as an easy, low-stress exercise for my body.\u00a0 Keeping it moving helps keep it from tightening up even more.<\/p>\n

Now, I know there are people with fibromyalgia who are truly affected more severely than I am, so this is not meant to disregard the severity of their situations.\u00a0 Many are unable to work, enjoy activities, or function on a normal level.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never been affected so badly that I cannot “do life.”\u00a0 I may not want to do something, but it’s a mental attitude not a physical limitation.\u00a0 But what if I gave in to my pain and let it determine who I am?\u00a0 If I focused on what I have, rather than who I am, how much different would my life be?\u00a0 I might refuse to leave my bed.\u00a0 I might quit my job because it\u2019s just too much effort.\u00a0 I might refuse to care for my family; instead asking them to tend to my needs.<\/p>\n

But I am a person with fibromyalgia.\u00a0 It does not have me.\u00a0 Just like I am a child of Christ with sin, sin does not have me.\u00a0 I have freedom in Christ.\u00a0 And, it\u2019s His freedom that also provides comfort during my fibro-flares (periods when it is worse).\u00a0 It is His strength that pushes me through.\u00a0 It is His wisdom that guides my doctors for management.\u00a0 And, oddly, it\u2019s a blessing in my life at times because the flares cause me to rest, and be thankful that my infliction truly isn\u2019t that bad in the scheme of things.<\/p>\n

So what defines you?\u00a0 Do you believe you cannot change because it\u2019s “just the way you are?”\u00a0 Do you see yourself as the addict or victim?\u00a0 Or do you see yourself as God sees you.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

James 4:10\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Humble yourselves before the Lord,<\/p>\n

and he will lift you up in honor. (NLT)<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Reading Assignment for Week 4: Chapter 4 of Life\u2019s Healing Choices<\/em><\/p>\n

Monday<\/strong>: Laurie will discuss Principle 5: The Transformation Choice<\/em>
\n Tuesday<\/strong>: Leslie will discuss Why Does It Take So Long?<\/em>
\n Wednesday<\/strong>: Kim will discuss How Do We Cooperate With God?<\/em>
\n Thursday<\/strong>: Amy will discuss Make The Choice<\/em>
\n Friday<\/strong>: Laurie will bring it all back home with a recap of our week<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Let\u2019s Pray:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord, so many times we view our scars and afflictions as bad things in our lives.\u00a0 Help us to see these as tools used by Your Hand to change and transform us into the daughters You want us to be.\u00a0 You desire only the best for us.\u00a0 You gave Your very best to us in Your Son, Jesus.\u00a0 Show us the defects within that keep us from freedom and peace.\u00a0 Allow us to humbly bow to You wisdom and correction in this process.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Power Verses for Chapter 5:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Psalm 37:5<\/p>\n

Matthew 5:6<\/p>\n

Romans 12:1, 2<\/p>\n

Philippians 1:6<\/p>\n

James 4:10<\/p>\n

1 Peter 1:13, 14<\/p>\n

1 John 1:9<\/p>\n

2 Thessalonians 3:3<\/p>\n

\u00a0________________<\/p>\n

If you are interested in joining us for the amazing online Bible study, and would like to join our private Facebook Discussion Group, 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 Amy a private email in regards to this blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Choice 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. \u201cGod blesses those people who want to obey Him more than to eat or drink.\u00a0 They will be given what they want!\u201d (Matthew 5:6 CEV) The hardest part for those of us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"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":[44,1626,90,146,218,425,1625,570,608,1624,723,1494,1623,9298,1135],"class_list":["post-8811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-victorious-healing","tag-1-john-19","tag-1-peter-113-14","tag-amy-butterfield","tag-bible-studies","tag-christianity","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-james-410","tag-john-baker","tag-lifes-healing-choices","tag-matthew-56","tag-online-bible-studies","tag-psalm-375","tag-romans-121-2","tag-victorious-healing","tag-womens-bible-studies","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-2i7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8811","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=8811"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8866,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8811\/revisions\/8866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}