Category: Spiritual Growth

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Celebrate Discipline :: GRATITUDE

IN OUR CELEBRATE DISCIPLINE COLUMN EACH MONTH WE ARE LEARNING A NEW SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, HOW TO APPLY IT AND HOPEFULLY GROW INTO THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE.




SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: habits that nurture spiritual growth; exercises unto godliness.


GRATITUDE: a thankful and loving response toward God for His presence with us and goodness to us;  joy in our heart in response to someone for who they are or something they have done.


For years we’ve heard the saying, “Have and attitude of gratitude.” But I’ve come to learn that being grateful is more than an attitude. It’s a practice. You can have an attitude about something without acting on it. Not until we begin practicing gratitude consistently will we see real change in our lives.

How can we practice gratitude?

  • Gratitude starts first with a change of heart. Only when look beyond ourselves and see the good around us, in other people, in nature, in our pets, can we begin to walk in gratitude each day.
  • For me keeping a gratitude journal has been helpful. Taking a few moments before bed to reflect on the good things of the day. I’m not as faithful to it as I’d like to be. But at least I’m making the effort to start.
  • Making a conscious decision to thank others. So many times we get lazy and overlook the kindness of people around us. You will make someone else’s day better by noticing them.

Gratitude enhances satisfaction and balances greed and entitlement. And is so lacking in today. It starts with us. We must make the effort, to take the first step. It can change our world!

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

If you can’t see the video screen below CLICK HERE and let your gratefulness overflow into blessings all around you!


RESOURCES:
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

Image credit: robwilson39 / 123RF Stock Photo

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The Road to Recovery :: STEP 11

IN THE ROAD TO RECOVERY COLUMN WE ARE WORKING THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF CELEBRATE RECOVERY which are BASED ON THE BEATITUDES, ALONG WITH THE TRADITIONAL 12 STEPS OF RECOVERY AS THEY ALIGN WITH THE YEARLY CALENDAR.

…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ~ Philippians 2:13 NIV

Step 11: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.


Principle 7 (Celebrate Recovery): Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. 



At this stage of our journey we are growing stronger every day with God. By taking time each morning, or perhaps throughout the day, to sit with Scripture, to be quiet in prayer and mediation, listening for that still small voice to bring us guidance. 

As we grow in confidence and faith it becomes easier to walk in God’s will. But make no mistake, we cannot do it alone. The moment we take our eyes of The Source of our strength we set ourselves up for a fall.

The verse I chose for this week is one very close to my heart. It is one my husband and I pray over ourselves and our family regularly. Without God working in us we can’t even begin to know what His will is, nor have the ability to walk it out.  

All God is asking is that we be willing and available to let Him work. Then He will show us His will so then hopefully we might bring Him pleasure from our lives. 

Success requires us to be intentional and committed minute by minute. This can only be done prayerfully with the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: What is your mediation/prayer routine like?


If you can’t see the video screen below Click Here for our Road to Recovery theme song for prayer.

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The Next WRONG Thing???

It’s no big surprise that choices come with consequences.


  Why is it so difficult for us to see ahead? To play the movie all the way to the end?

Maybe it’s a simple matter of denial. I know a wrong choice made by someone else gets a bad result for them. But somehow I think I’m special. I won’t get that same bad result. Newsflash to self…

No Wrong Choices = No Wrong Consequences!

Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows! If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death; but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life that the Holy Spirit gives him. ~ Galatians 6:7-9 LB

Sometimes we need a miracle to do the next right thing!  

If you can’t see the video screen below click here for a great song by Seth Glier.

Image credit: alphaspirit / 123RF Stock Photo

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BOOK REVIEW

 

Unglued: Making Wise Choice in the Midst of Raw Emotions


by


@LysaTerKeurst

This past September I was blessed to see Lysa TerKeurst speak at the Women of Faith conference in Dallas. When she spoke at the conference her message was taken from Unglued so I was excited that I had already chosen it for my October Book Review.

Are a woman who struggles with stuffing your emotions or exploding from over-stuffing? Then you are going to want this book! To be honest most of us are one or the other and sometimes both depending on the hour of the day or the day of the month.

Our schedules are overly committed which keeps us in danger of bursting at our seams with raw emotions daily. In Unglued Lysa shares transparent personal stories to help us recognize the differences between stuffing our emotions and exploding. She then gently teaches us from Scripture how to repair our thought processes and reactions which can help prevent future explosive episodes. 

Though I don’t struggle with raw emotions much these days, there were many years when I was a walking time bomb. I could have really used Unglued when I was raising my three children!

I enjoyed reading Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst and I think you will too! 


If you can’t see the video screen below click here to Lysa TerKeurst discuss Unglued.

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Living Life Lessons :: God’s Mighty Power In Me

IN THE LIVING LIFE LESSONS COLUMN EACH MONTH I AM SHARING LESSONS GOD HAS TAUGHT ME these last several years.  Today Let’s talk about the Power of God that is available to us…



One of the many mysteries of God is that when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Not only that, the power that raised Christ from the grave is available to us as well, actually working within us. 

That is a mind boggling concept!


According to Scripture God is able to carry out His purpose and do supernatural things in our lives as a because His power is working in us. 

Good things come as a consequence of God’s power working… in me.  In you. 


So maybe the good things aren’t coming because I’m preventing God from working in me? 

How can we stop God’s power from working?

The Bible tells us that we make the Holy Spirit sad by our behavior, when we carry bitterness and anger, use harsh words or hurt others. 

If we want God’s power to be working in and through our lives we must be intentional about our words and actions; being careful to build others up, speaking words that are beneficial not polluting.

God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us. May we see His shining-greatness in the church. May all people in all time honor Christ Jesus. Let it be so. ~ Ephesians 3:20-21 (New Life Version)

If you can’t see the video screen below click here to praise God for His Resurrection Power working in you today!

Photo credit: deosum / 123RF Stock Photo

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Celebrate Discipline :: WORSHIP

IN OUR CELEBRATE DISCIPLINE COLUMN EACH MONTH WE ARE LEARNING A NEW SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, HOW TO APPLY IT AND HOPEFULLY GROW INTO THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE.


SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: habits that nurture spiritual growth; exercises unto godliness.


WORSHIP: a response to God’s love as the Holy Spirit touches our human spirit.


It may seem odd to look at worship as a Spiritual Discipline. But if you have ever been so angry you could explode or struggling with an ailing body… think about being in the midst of these situations and still able to worship God. That takes Spiritual Discipline. 


Though worship is usually associated with religion, there are people who aren’t religious that have a type of worship. Worship is often revealed by the people or things we value most; money, power, possessions, substances, etc… 

Where do we turn when we’re coming undone at the end of a bad day?

There are many styles of worship: liturgical, charismatic, traditional, and contemporary. Because the New Testament doesn’t specify rules and forms of worship, no one style is better than another. The most important thing to consider is our heart motivations before, during and after. 

Before beginning a time of worship we must be sure we are in right relationships with family, friends, and God. If we go into worship angry that will block our ability to give and receive love, which is the primary purpose of worship. 

The quality of our worship comes from the focus of our heart. We mustn’t look at another person and compare styles of worship. God wants my very best, not my interpretation of someone else’s very best. 

The heart of worship is to seek God and love Him in our own personal way. 


Take some time to evaluate your type or style of worship. Is it all you want it to be? You can lay face down on the floor or dance around the room. Whatever you do that shows God how much you love Him is what He wants from you.

God is Spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. ~John 4:24

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

What does worship mean to you? How do you like to worship?


If you can’t see the video screen below click here for one of my favorite worship songs. 

RESOURCES:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

Photo credit: designpics / 123RF Stock Photo

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BOOK REVIEW :: Change Your Words Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer

Change Your Words Change Your Life: 

Understanding the Power of Every Word You Speak 

by

@JoyceMeyer

Over the years I have read multiple books by Joyce Meyer. If you’ve been following my blog you know the profound impact her ministry has had on my life.

The message of this particular book is one of Joyce’s foundational teachings and is one I’m sure she will continue teaching as long as she has breath. Why is it she continues to pound away at us about our words? Because our brains are extremely stubborn and don’t given up bad habits easily!

Joyce has written several books and preached countless messages about the mouth. But I believe Change Your Words Change Your Life is her most user friendly to date. She gives us a dictionary of Scriptures divided up by topics to help us quickly in our time of need. Through good times and bad, complaining, encouraging, and opinions… she doesn’t miss a beat. And what I love most about Joyce is that she keeps it real by sharing her own areas of weakness and growth!

I have personal experience that this principle works, so I highly recommend Change Your Words Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer!

If you can’t see the video screen below CLICK HERE for a wonderful conversation between @JoyceMeyer and @JohnCMaxwell on the power of our words.

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Living Life Lessons :: AFFIRMATIONS

IN THE LIVING LIFE LESSONS COLUMN EACH MONTH I AM SHARING VARIOUS LESSONS GOD HAS TAUGHT ME. TODAY WE LEARN HOW TO TALK TO OURSELVES AND TO OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. 

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

Year by year God continues to teach me about my words. It isn’t enough to stop saying the wrongs words, I must begin to speak out health and healing. I know from personal experience that by confessing the negative things I see each day, by rehearsing them over and over verbally, I am giving them power in my life. If I want to see something different I must be committed to speak what I want to see.

It’s important that we guard our tongue. Whatever we speak we give power over our life. If we constantly talk about our problems we will continue to see them. If our body is in pain and we talk about the pain symptoms to our friends, we will continue to have the pain. On the contrary, if while in pain, we choose to speak health and healing over our body, in spite of what we actually see or feel, we will begin to walk in health and healing. 

Genesis tells us that God created the earth and all that is in it with His Words, and that God gave man authority over all the earth. Scripture also tells us the power of life and death are in our tongue.

This is difficult concept for many to grasp. Some Christians are uncomfortable with it and see it as New Age mysticism or positive mental attitude stuff. It’s true you can find this concept in some New Age teachings, but it is totally Biblical.

At 100 years old God told Abraham that he would be the father of a nation, that his children would number as great as the stars. Abraham believed and God counted him as righteous because of his faith!

Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. ~ Romans 4:17

I first learned this principle listening and watching Joyce Meyer in 2005. I was inspired by her teaching and books and wanted to have what she had.  So I began following her example by rewriting various Scripture verses in first person and speaking them out loud over my life.

I am a new creature in Christ: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Then I began to recognize negative things happening in my family, situations that I knew God wanted to be different. Based on what the Bible tells us God wants for our lives, I began calling those things that were not as though there were. When I began making these affirmations over my family and marriage they were not true. Today they are!

For my family:  My family is fully restored and my children have forgiven me. 

For my marriage:  My marriage is completely restored. My husband and I have a healthy relationship that glorifies God.

Take this lesson to heart for yourself and your family. God has given us the ability to create goodness in our own lives by the power of our words. If it can happen for me it can happen for you!

If you can’t see the video screen below CLICK HERE for a song to help us dedicate our words to God.



Photo credit: kentoh / 123RF Stock Photo

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Celebrate Discipline :: CONFESSION

IN OUR CELEBRATE DISCIPLINE COLUMN EACH MONTH WE ARE LEARNING A NEW SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, HOW TO APPLY IT AND HOPEFULLY GROW INTO THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: habits that nurture spiritual growth; exercises unto godliness.

CONFESSION: an admission of misdeeds or faults to God or another person.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. ~ Psalm 139:23-24

Since God desires to give and forgive, He has put in place the process of redemption which started at the Cross and was confirmed with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ’s holy work and through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can make our confession and know that forgiveness is possible.


The Spiritual Discipline of Confession is a difficult one for us because we often choose to see our community as one full of saints rather than a fellowship of sinners. All the more reason for confession to be a priority in our lives. When we are able to help someone struggling with their lives it helps us to know we aren’t alone in our struggle with sin. If I am left alone in the confession of my sin, I stay in the dark. It is in the light of mutual confession that healing power is released and lives are transformed.

In some Christian traditions there are formal printed confessions spoken as a congregation or to a confessor. There are many advantages to this method.

  1. No more excuses or blaming. We confess that we have sinned by our own fault. 
  2. Forgiveness is expected and given. With words from a brother or sister our forgiveness is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
  3. Remorse is experienced. We use this time to consider the seriousness of our sin against God.

Confession journalling is another avenue to consider. As we go about our daily lives we can process our various sin struggles in a diary or journal. This can be a sweet time of self-examination with the Lord at the end of the day.

The most common view of confession is that spoken to another person. But before we run off and start sharing our deep dark secrets we must take care to find the proper person. Key qualifications we should look for are: spiritual maturity, compassion, wisdom and the ability to keep a confidence. 

Having found a confidant there are three things we must check before we begin.

  1. Our conscience ~  We invite God to show us where we need healing and forgiveness.
  2. Our sorrow ~ We are taking our confession seriously because we know we have offended God.
  3. Our desire to sin ~ We ask God to help us live holy lives from this point forward.

The Spiritual Discipline of Confession breaks all pretenses over our life. We are now free to walk in our God given grace and forgiveness with the hope of making a difference in the lives of those around us.


“Honesty leads to confession, and confession leads to change.” ~ Richard Foster


If you can’t see the video screen below CLICK HERE for a beautiful song to meditate on.

RESOURCES:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

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BOOK REVIEW :: Girls with Swords by Lisa Bevere

Girls with Swords: 

How to Carry Your Cross Like A Hero

by

@LisaBevere

I had a wonderful summer book study with my newest daughter-in-law, Alicia, who chose Girls with Swords for us to read. Although, I’ve seen Lisa Bevere multiple times on television this is the first time I’ve read one of her books. Not unlike her TV appearances, Lisa has a powerful message to share.

Today many of the popular video games and comic book adventures depict women as heroes. But that certainly has’t been the norm of our social culture. Having not seen strong women modeled for us, many of us girls find it difficult to step into the role of warrior princess.

In Girls with Swords Lisa does a wonderful job using fencing metaphors to teach us the power we have available through The Sword of God’s Word. But before we can learn how to weald our sword we must first be aware of the battle set before us. Once we learn our battleground the task of becoming a warrior begins. We learn how to forge our sword, walk through the battle toward our harvest, armed with the Light, songs of praise and even times of silence.

Lisa carefully teaches us that as God’s children we are chosen but we must be trained and armed before God will commission us to our individual battles. We may be chosen it’s up to us to attend boot camp. Only there will we get the preparation necessary for the battlefield of life.

If you are looking for a book to study this Fall I highly recommend Girls with Swords! Also, you might want to check out the Girls with Swords Fencing Manual which goes beautifully with the book. It’s perfect for individual study or small groups.

If you cannot see the video screen below Click Here  for a message from Lisa Bevere.