REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES

In response to last week’s question:
What hurt would you like to see discussed?

My longtime friend and school mate, Ren, suggested:
“What about relapse? It’s going around.”

Before getting Ren’s suggestion, I had already been led to write about the recovery principle ~Self-Protection. I was excited to get her suggestion because Relapse and Self-Protection go hand in hand… If we aren’t protecting our self, we will definitely be on the road to a quick relapse!

Long gone are the days when people had the same physician for their entire life. Someone you could trust, who knew your history, had a personal relationship with you and your family, who actually watched out for your health concerns. Gone are the days when we felt safe in our community and country. When we could trust our neighbors; leaving our homes and cars unlocked.

The principles of Self-Protection can be applied across the board to all areas of our life:

Physical-nutrition & exercise
Relationships-marriage, friends & family
Lifestyle-work & recreation

Today if we are to be protected, we pretty much have to do it our self. We must read and research to be aware of potential risks and know what boundaries to put in place for our own protection.

For myself, as a recovering sex addict, it has been critical for the last 5 years to have clearly defined boundaries on the influences in my life: TV, Internet, music, movies, magazines, friends, environment, etc…

With my new health concerns, Insulin Resistance; I must be just as diligent with boundaries to avoid possible temptations.

Let’s look at some specific guidelines that can help us stay protected:

Be Steadfast in Convictions: Know and understand why.

Seek Good Counsel: Bible, minister, counselor, doctor.

Share with a Friend: Get accountability partner.

Create New Habits: Remove old patterns.

Do The Next Right Thing: Be wise; stay on track.

Stay Rested: Be good to your body.

There’s a familiar recovery acronym: H.A.L.T. that reminds us times of temptation come when we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. I’ve taken the liberty to build on this and add a spiritual aspect to further our protection.

H. A. L. T. E. D.

When:

Hungry — physical desires of any kind take over.

Angry — annoyed with life’s frustrations

Lonely — lonesome and fearful

Tired — troubled and depressed

I will:

Exercise — calming prayer.

Do — good and expect a reward.

In order to become everything God has created us to be; we must have a deep resolve. We must look for God’s escape out of each temptation and run for it. We serve a faithful God who is always beside us, working for our good and leading us in paths of victory and strength.

We can overcome any obstacle, any challenge, any temptation in Jesus’ name!

If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall… remember the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.
~1 Corinthians 10:12-13 New Living Translation

After sharing my recent health struggles last week, I received several encouraging email from special friends.

One, in particular, had a deep and resounding impact on my spirit. So much that it has given me a fresh vision and purpose for my ministry.

My dearest friend, Whitney, who I met in 2006 during our stay in Louisiana, forwarded me a devotional she receives. It spoke of “Good Afflictions” and how God uses trials to strengthen and grow us into the person He knows we can be in Christ.

One of the verses referred to in Whitney’s email was a scripture I’ve leaned on many times:

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained by it.~ Hebrews 12:10-11

If you’ve been reading the Bible for any time at all, you’ve probably experienced what’s known as a Rhema Word. This happened as I was reading the above passage and came to the next verse. [One that had not been previously marked in my Life Recovery Bible–something I do regularly for verses that have spoken to me personally.]

I continued to read…

So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.~Hebrews 12:12-13

This was a Rhema Word to me!

It’s an incredible experience when a scripture jumps off the page. When God speaks loud and clear to you – there’s great power and no mistaking it’s Almighty God. You know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God has reached out and touched your life personally in a way that no one else can.

For the last few weeks I’ve thought about changing the name of the ministry to simply–Reaching Women– then it would match my Twitter handle. God hasn’t released me to do it.

Then after reading the above verse, I had a revelation about my ministry.

After living a life of addiction, I felt that my ministry focus needed to be towards that… To reach women struggling with all kinds of addictions.

But God has shown me that women are hurting in so many other ways, the least of which is our health!

As I said last week, I want to share what I’m learning about nutrition and health in general. But also, going forward, I want to address specific hurts that we as women encounter in our daily lives.

I’m excited to see how God will continue to use this humble ministry to help women. Even me.

QUESTION: What are some areas of hurt you would like to see discussed?