Author: Tamara

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THE TWELVE LIFE RECOVERY GIFTS :: SERENITY

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.
EACH OF THE POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH BEGINNING IN JANUARY. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I’LL BE REVIEWING TOUCHING INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC. COME ALONG. LET’S LEARN SOME NEW THINGS TOGETHER!
For my addiction recovery work this year I’m going through The Twelve Gifts of Life Recovery by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop. On the third Friday of each month in 2021 I will be sharing the blessings God brings us to honor our choices and encourage our recovery journey.
This is the eleventh post in the series. Today we are learning about the life recovery gift of serenity.

Serenity is a gift given by God, who is the true source of serenity.  We experience the gift of serenity when we follow God’s will. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Those of us in the life of recovery know all too well, the never-ending search for peace of mind… the constant looking for the next escape from today’s emotional torture.

The often quoted first stanza of the famous Serenity Prayer gives us divine insight into how we can achieve the sought after state of being: SERENITY. Below is the complete Serenity Prayer but we will focus only on the first stanza today. Let’s take a deeper look.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world, as it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that God will make all things right if I surrender to his will; so that I may be reasonable happy in this life, and supremely happy with him forever in the next. Amen 

ACCEPTANCE: the willingness to receive what life has given us and be content with it.

I can be content in any and every situation through the Anointed One who is my power and strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

For most people this is very difficult. Honestly, I believe, it is impossible without a solid relationship with God, and prayerfully staying in His Word daily. With God’s help we can learn to accept our past, present and whatever the future may hold. Because in the end, we can trust that He will make something good come from it for us.

COURAGE: the state of mind that enables one to face difficulties without fear.

So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! ~ Psalm 31:24

This is an attitude that also requires action on our part. We will need take steps that require physical activities in order to face and change some difficulties. In particular two of the 12 Steps fall into this category: processing our moral inventory and making amends. Taking responsibility for our lives requires courage.

WISDOM: the knowledge of what is right coupled with discernment and insight.

If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking. ~ James 1:5

Note that wisdom isn’t simply knowledge. Book knowledge doesn’t give us wisdom. There are plenty of knowledgeable people in this world who have little or no wisdom. OnlyGod is the source of all wisdom. Also, it’s important to point out that serenity doesn’t come from wisdom itself. Wisdom is a by product of seeking God’s will and spending time with Him.

“If we are willing to accept what can’t be changed and to have the courage to take action on what can be change, God will give us the wisdom to discern the difference.” ~ The Twelve Gifts of Life Recovery

Take a few minutes to glean from, Stephen Arterburn, one of the authors of this excellent book that we’ve been studying all year. Here with his series Going Deeper: The Gift of Serenity.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT :: GIFTS OF ADMINISTRATION AND HELPS

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.
EACH OF THE FOUR POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I’LL BE REVIEWING TOUCHING INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC OR MEDIA.
On the second  Friday of each month in 2021 we’re studying the Holy Spirit. We will learn who the Holy Spirit is, about His gifts and fruit which are given to us as believers and how to walk them out in our daily life. This is the eleventh post in The Holy Spirit Study series.

God has appointed gifts in the assembly: first emissaries, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, healers, helpers, administrators, and then those who speak with various unknown languages. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:28

In our Holy Spirit study today we’re looking at two gifts that are often overlooked among a list of powerful, visible gifts. People with these gifts usually serve behind the scenes supporting the needs of the ministry and the gifts of others. While the spiritual gifts of administration and helps may seem mild compared to other gifts, they are none the less important to the body of Christ and His ministries on this earth.

THE GIFT OF ADMINISTRATION

The spiritual gift of administration provides one the ability to manage and keep things running in line with God’s order and principles. This gift is sometimes seen as a team gift because those with the gift of administration have the ability to see what needs to be done and can organize a team of people with other spiritual gifts that can help the ministry operate more effectively or efficiently. In the secular world this person might be a project manager.

THE GIFT OF HELPS

The spiritual gift of helps gives one the ability to see what needs to be done and take care of it. People with this gift have a desire to help others by meeting daily responsibilities in practical ways. Rather than looking for someone else to do the task, they will often tackle it themselves. In the secular world this person might be a personal assistant.

SUPPORTIVE GIFTS

Both the gift of administration and helps are supportive to the body of Christ in very similar ways. Where the gift of administration takes on a leadership type role, the gift of helps is more of a assistant or servant type role. I find it fascinating how the Holy Spirit pulls together all the people gifted with just the right abilities needed to bring about the ministry He needs to impart to our world.

Contemplate the help of heaven in your life today with this beautiful song below. It has truly ministered to my heart and soul today. Be blessed…