Spiritual Growth – Page 31 – Reaching Hurting Women Ministries

February 27, 2013June 25, 2016

BOOK Pre~VIEW :: The Power of Pause by Terry Hershey

The Power of Pause: Becoming More by Doing Less

by

My best girlfriend turned me on to this book not long ago. And because The Power of Pause is designed like a devotional I haven’t read much of it yet… thus the preview vs. review. However, so far I am quite impressed with Terry Hershey and his book. With our daily schedules getting out of hand, we need all the help we can get to slow down!

Rather than go on about how good I think this book is going to be, I will let the author tell us himself.

Click here for The Power of Pause book trailer with Terry Hershey. Blessings…

February 20, 2013June 25, 2016

Living Life Lessons :: UNLIMITED ACCESS!

Since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ~ Romans 5:2

One day several years ago, I was missing my children who were grown but had been estranged from me for a long time. Then God gave me the above Scripture. With the verse came a vision of hope, a vision of my family fully restored, that has since come true. But before it did I had to lean on this verse for almost four years using the process below.

HOPE: forms the image according to God’s Word

We have something for which we hope… our marriage restored, a spouse’s sobriety, children’s struggles, finances… Whatever your specific needs are, if they line up according to God’s Word you can wrap them up in hope, keeping the vision of what you want to see before your eyes, not looking at things the way they are in the natural.

FAITH: rises in our spirit, giving substance to the image in the heavenly realm.

If you are a Believer and have faith in Jesus Christ, you have access to God’s grace; which is His favor and blessings. As we tap into this faith, it rises up within our spirit. We bring out our hope package that is filled with our vision, then by way of our faith we send our hope to God.

GLORY: is the physical manifestation of God’s goodness in the natural realm.

Because we have access by faith into God’s grace we can stand in the hope of God’s glory. As we keep our hope vision in front of us, thanking God daily for His favor, mercy and goodness, we can rejoice because this hope will not disappoint. Attached to our faith we have sent our hope vision to God. In His perfect time, God then sends our vision back manifested by His glorious goodness into our physical realm.

Today my family is fully restored! We are walking proof of God’s glory.

Here is the confession I stood on for four years:

I have access by faith into God’s grace where I now stand; I rejoice in the hope of God’s glory!

Take a few moments to get refilled with this song by the Robbie Seay Band http://youtu.be/Wz3vyyy01aw

Photo Courtesy of 123rf.com

February 13, 2013June 25, 2016

Celebrate Discipline :: PRAYER

Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart; that is, at the point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one. ~ Henry Nouwen

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

PRAYER: personal conversations with God; expressing our concerns and listening to His response.

The season of Lent is a wonderful time to consider our prayer life. Most of us would be embarrassed to admit how little time we spend praying. With all the advances of our day it seems we could find more time for prayer. However, today’s technologies often bring more distractions unto madness. Rather than bring guilt, I come with possible solutions and maybe a new perspective that can help usher us into a place of solace where The Source of Peace awaits.

Sometimes it seems like praying is a waste of time; we feel like our thoughts are floating out into the universe. But as our prayer life goes, so goes our spiritual growth. Prayer isn’t just about our own godliness. As warriors in the spiritual battle, without prayer we fight unprepared and defensless. Something that has been very convicting to me is to think about people of other religious beliefs… Hindu and Muslims pray multiple times per day at set increments.

Shouldn’t we Christians be as devoted to our prayer time?

For the last year I’ve been learning about Benedictine Monasticism. As a way of living out the command to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) the monastic pray the Liturgy of the Hours seven times per day. St. Benedict teaches that by returning portions of our most precious gift of time, we are practicing a basic form of hospitality to God; making room in our schedule for the entertainment of God’s Presence. It is from that divine foundation that other forms of hospitality derive. Wow! How can we not want to pray after that?

This apparent “wasting” of time on God is the wisest possible use of this precious gift!

Often we do everything but pray. We want something more “substantial.” Even studying the Bible, going to church, talking to the pastor or receiving counsel seems more tangible than prayer. But it’s time to roll away the stone of prayerlessness. It’s the most prohibitive obstacle on the road to a believer’s victory. ~ Beth Moore

Types of Prayer

There are many ways to pray but today we are going to focus on Contemplative prayer.

Contemplative Prayer: a receptive waiting with hearts awake to God’s presence and His Word.

Breath Prayer: is a form of contemplative prayer that is linked to the rhythm of our breathing. When we breath in we call on a biblical name or image of God, and when we breath out a simple God-given desire. This is one of my favorite types of prayer to use as I’m going to sleep at night.

Breath in: “Holy One,” breath out “keep me true.”
Breath in “Lord Jesus,” breath out “have mercy on me.”

Centering Prayer: is a form of contemplative prayer where one seeks to quiet the scattered thoughts and find stillness in Christ’s presence. By centering prayer on simple words like Jesus, Father, love, peace, or a phrase from Scripture. With these words we linger with God and open our hearts to His presence.

Postures of Prayer

In what position is it best to pray? Here are a few biblical postures for prayer:

Walking: a nature walk can be a sweet time of companionship with the Father.
Standing: is a way of giving honor to the majesty of God
Outstretched Arms: opens the core of our body up toward God.
Prostrate: lying face down puts us in a place of submission and obedience.
Kneeling: expresses reverence and humility before God.

Final Thoughts

I’m not here by any means as an expert in prayer, quite the contrary. I am on my own spiritual journey and only wish to share the things God teaches me.

As for prayer, I have found that setting aside a specific time helps me tremendously. If it works out today, great. If not, I’ll try better tomorrow. Another thing, when God brings a certain person to my mind, I take that as a prompt to pray for them. A few helpful points…

Set a regular scheduled time for prayer.
Before praying, listen for guidance first.
Pray with expectation!

We each have to find what works best for our schedules, personality types and temperament. The most important thing is that we take time to companion with our heavenly Father.

As we put these habits into practice prayer continues within us as we are go about our day. Prayer become the active presence of God’s Spirit guiding us through life.

Take a moment to pray with this beautiful song by Celine Dion and Josh Groban http://youtu.be/jhxIjRO6Wj

RESOURCES:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
So You Want To Be Like Christ? by Charles R. Swindoll
The Way of the Heart by Henri J. Nouwen

February 6, 2013June 25, 2016

The Road to Recovery :: STEP TWO

STEP TWO:

Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. ~ Philippians 2:13

PRINCIPLE TWO: (Celebrate Recovery)

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him and that he has the power to help me recover.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ~ Matthew 5:4

At this stage of our recovery journey we are beginning to find peace with God; faith is birthing within our heart and soul. Our spirit has been pricked by the Holy One, nudging us back home to a safe place ruled by Love.

When we humble ourselves by recognizing God’s power it brings us to a place where we can believe for more, we become able to receive the strength we desparately need to recover. Only through honest transparency about our weaknesses, our hurts, habits and hang-ups, can we truly find healing. We will never be totally free until we yield ourselves to God.

God knows all our dirty little secrets but he needs us to know that He knows. Not to rub our nose in them, but when we can feel ashamed for the right reason, when we have a true sense of regret for our past actions, maybe, just maybe, we can learn from them.

Principle Two is the Hope principle. Here is the acrostic from Celebrate Recovery:

H – Higher Power

For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. ~ Romans 11:36

O – Openness to change

Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. ~ Ephesians 4:22-23

P – Power to change

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. ~ Psalm 25:5

E – Expectation to change

I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. ~ Philippians 1:6

By admitting our powerlessness in Step One we moved from a life filled with pain and suffering to one with hope. Our hope grows when we believe that a power greater than ourselves, Jesus Christ, can and will restore us to sanity.

Are you struggling today? Is your life one of insanity and despair?

Don’t delay. Call out to Jesus. He alone has the power to change your life.

He is your Hope for a better tomorrow!

Reflect on hope in Christ as you listen to our Road to Recovery theme song by David Zasloff: http://youtu.be/yHIO_1JlBKc

Resources:
Celebrate Recovery Bible
Life Recovery Bible
The Twelve Steps for Christians

January 30, 2013June 25, 2016

BOOK Pre-VIEW: The Purpose Driven Life ~ What on Earth am I Here for? by Rick Warren

This isn’t a typical book review but a preview because I haven’t read the book yet.

Because The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? is designed as a 40-day study, my husband and I have chosen to study it through Lent this year. I hope you will take this opportunity to prayerfully consider what you will do during this upcoming season to prepare your heart for Easter. Blessings…

The Purpose Driven Life:

What On Earth Am I Here For?

by

@RickWarren

10 years ago, Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life, which became the bestselling hardback nonfiction book in history, and the second most-translated book in the world, after the Bible. Without a doubt it has inspired and changed countless lives.

Now, Rick has updated and expanded the book with new chapters to help give our life even greater purpose. One thing I find very exciting about this new version, is the QR codes at the beginning of each chapter that link to a video introduction, an audio message and notes for deeper study.

I’m really looking forward to reading The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?

Here’s a short video introduction by Pastor Rick Warren… http://youtu.be/rjD7PGBAwxc

January 23, 2013June 25, 2016

BOOK REVIEW :: The Resolution for Women by Pricilla Shirer

The Resolution for Women

by

@PriscillaShirer

B & H Books

288 pp

What a perfect book to start the new year with! Although I’ve seen Priscilla Shirer speak in person, I’ve not read any of her books before now. If you enjoy watching Priscilla teach you will like this book. Like most good authors you can hear their speaking voice in their written word, and this was no exception.

The Resolution for Women was written in partnership with the movie Courageous which is calling men to be stronger spiritual leaders. Priscilla’s book is essentially that same message to women.

While all the resolutions are excellent, you may find some challenging to walk out. Certainly, they will cause you to think about some areas in life where you may have gotten lazy.

This book is quick read with fast moving chapters that aren’t full of fluff like many of today’s commercial writers. It is thought provoking with encouragement to put the resolutions in practice.

I highly recommend The Resolution for Women. It’s great for a small group study or just to share with a friend over coffee. Either way, I think you will enjoy it!

Check out the Book Trailer for The Resolution for Women: http://youtu.be/k-iOlcbXNUg

January 16, 2013June 25, 2016

LIVING LIFE LESSONS :: What Are You Thinking?

With our busy, stressed out life it’s easy for our thoughts to turn negative or unhealthy… allowing current events to bring worry and fear; doubting your self-worth; having sexual fantasies about people… the list could go on and on.

Let’s find help for this troubling issue.

In the early days of my recovery, I struggled constantly with my thoughts. After living a destructive lifestyle of sexual addiction, using pornography and fantasy regularly, I had a lot of garbage in my mind that I wanted out. But the harder I tried not to think about them the more they came. I was trapped with my past in my brain.

Then God showed up! One day in 2005 I found a verse that literally saved my thought life.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. ~ Philippians 4:8-9 NLT

I wrote the verse on a 3×5 card and kept it with me all the time. Whenever a bad thought or image resurfaced I would pull out my card and recite it out loud. This is my confession:

I will think only on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely admirable, excellent and praiseworthy!

If my thought didn’t fit into one of these categories it wasn’t allowed! Somedays I had to recite this over and over and over and over to keep my mind free of unwanted thoughts.

We can’t erase the memories we hold in our brain. As much as we want to we can’t push the negative thoughts out. But we can put new thoughts in. We have the power and ability to create new memories, by putting positive thoughts and images in. The more good we put in, the more bad stuff gets pushed to the background. Until one day they seem to be gone. OK, sure if I want to recall a past image, it’s definitely possible. The trick is not to allow those thoughts to surface long enough to bring all their baggage.

If there’s one principle that was a turning point in my life journey, it is this:

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT!

If you don’t like what’s in your thoughts — put in some new things. You have the power to redecorate the rooms of your brain. Why not put pretty things there?

True… Noble… Right… Pure… Lovely… Admirable… Excellent… Praiseworthy…

Do your thoughts fit in these categories?

As an exercise to ground myself further, I did a word study on each of these categories. This was a great way to build them deeper into my mind and helped me tremendously.

If you’re struggling with your thought life, I challenge you to follow my example for one week.

You won’t be sorry!

Here’s a video teaching by Joyce Meyer on this same subject. I hope you are blessed by it.
http://youtu.be/SOvh_pLOfAY

Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

January 2, 2013June 25, 2016

The Road to Recovery :: STEP ONE

Step One:

We admitted we were powerless over the effects of our separation from God–that our lives had become unmanageable.

I know nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ~ Romans 7:18

Principle One (Celebrate Recovery):

Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. ~ Matthew 5:3

The pain of remaining the same has finally become greater than the fear of change. After spending a lifetime hiding from or numbing our pain, it’s time to surrender and face our pain head on.

This first step requires that we recognize our brokenness so our healing process can begin. We can’t heal a wound unless we admit it exists; we must face and admit our denial.

The Celebrate Recovery Bible has a wonderful acrostic for DENIAL:

D – disables our feelings.

E – energy drain.

N – negates our growth.

I – isolates us from God.

A – alienates us from other human relationships.

L – lengthens our pain.

We should now ask ourselves:

In what way have I isolated myself from God and others?

How do I disable my feelings?

What areas of my life are out of control?

Don’t allow the fear of change to rule your life. Healing is possible!

If you are struggling with hurts, habits or hang-ups and aren’t participating in a 12 Step support group, I encourage you to seek one out. Celebrate Recovery groups are available in most cities.

I hope you enjoy our Road to Recovery Theme song for this year: http://youtu.be/yHIO_1JlBKc

Resources:

Celebrate Recovery Bible
The Twelve Steps for Christians

December 26, 2012June 25, 2016

Healing Hurts :: OVEREATING

It’s true during this season of the year we attend holiday functions that encourage unhealthy eating habits. But this column is more about a deep seated problem of overeating, using food as a comfort to cope with loneliness or stress.

I love the photograph to the right. It tells such a story…

After a long day at work a young woman comes home to her lonely apartment. She changes immediately into her pajamas and curls up with her favorite television program. Soon the food commercials drive her to the kitchen. Instead of cooking a healthy dinner she ends up binging on junk food late into the night. With her body full of carbohydrates she passes out on the sofa waking to a sugar hangover not unlike that caused by alcohol.

What’s at the root of overeating?

Our drive to eat is a necessity for our survival, but we must have a healthy relationship with food so that it doesn’t take over our mind and eventually our life. Getting to the root of our actions requires locating our feelings at the time of acting out. We must ask ourselves:

What am I feeling when I want to eat? Am I lonely? Tired? Bored? Sad? Angry?
Can I redirect these feelings into a healthier activity?

This addiction is so closely related to my own struggle with sexual addiction that it’s hard to separate the two in my head. Like most addictions, I think overeating starts with a bad habit and continues out of shear boredom. If we can find our way to self-awareness, to enjoy the present moment without the need to anesthetizes ourselves in some way, maybe we are closer to a solution.

As always if you struggle with this or any other issue discussed on my blog, please don’t stay in your pain alone. Reach out to a trusted friend or family member, counselor or pastor. There are many great community resources available to help you. Also, don’t hesitate to email me: [email protected] and I will do what I can to direct you to an answer.

Blessings… and Merry Christmas!

December 19, 2012June 25, 2016

Virtues ~n~ Vices :: GENEROSITY

VIRTUE: a valued principle of good moral behavior; a holy habit.

Generosity: a habit of giving without expecting anything in return.

VICE: a practice of wrong doing, corruption of virtue; an unholy habit.

Stingy: reluctant to give or spend.

During the Christmas season Generosity is the perfect Virtue to study. While most of us would consider ourselves generous people, I think this is an area that’s easy to get lazy in and not realize it. As always, we can point out our weaknesses better by looking at the opposing vices. Let’s consider a few more opposites of Generosity…

miserly
gluttonous
covetous

What picture comes to mind when you read these words? I see Scrooge and The Grinch. No doubt two movies you’ve seen at some point this holiday season. But seriously, when we see these two awful characters, do we see any part of ourselves?

To a cold and calculating person, being generous seems costly. To the generous, being stingy seems incomprehensible. It is greed that creates poverty not generosity. True generosity enriches us!

The true spirit of generosity comes in giving but not expecting anything in return. But more than that, we must give sacrificially. It isn’t generous to give something that’s old and worth discarding. We must give out of our abundance, something maybe that we want to keep. Certainly, when giving a financial gift it should be an amount that goes over and above what we might normally give.

With the Christmas season upon us, God’s generous gift of Jesus Christ is top of mind. Because God made us in His image, His generous character is also built into our nature. In practicing the Virtue of Generosity we come closest to resembling the creative God in whose image we have been made.

Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. ~ Luke 6:38 MSG