Category: Spiritual Growth

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Working the Steps: Step 12

December… the perfect month to focus on Step 12:

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

We are all recovering from something: hurts, habits or hang-ups. And if we’re recovering, that means someone helped us overcome our problem. And if it was Christ, we must tell others.

When I was homeschooling my children in the 90’s we had The 21 Rules of This House by Gregg Harris on our refrigerator. (still do by the way) One of my favorites is Rule #11: When we have something nice to share, we share it.

What better gift to give someone who’s hurting than your story out of bondage into freedom! 

This Christmas season, give hope to someone; take an opportunity to share what God has done in your life. I believe people are more receptive to The Good News this time of year than any other. 

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong… slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds… But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed, he saved us… God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for. This is a true saying. ~Titus 3:3-8

Photo Courtesy 123RF Stock Photo

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Truth or Consequences

What is driving your life?

                     

                                         
There’s no doubt we can get our circumstances in a pickle by making bad choices. Often we allow our lives to be driven by the consequences of those mistakes.
 
I made a host of bad choices that kept my life in a mess for many years. Even though I had turned my life back over to God and was living a sober lifestyle, I still had to suffer many consequences of my past actions.

We must make the choice to live according to the Truth of God’s Word rather than be in the pit of consequence despair.

Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. he was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. ~ Hebrews 12:1-3

As the author of Hebrews tells us, Jesus faced consequences of sin, albeit not His, but ours. Yet as He suffered, He focused on the prize ahead. So we should not look back with regret at the things that have brought us to this place of painful consequences. But rather see the truth that these consequences are making us stronger for the race ahead…