Tag: Acceptance

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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 DO IT AFRAID BOOK STUDY :: ACCEPTANCE

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.
On the fourth Friday of each month in 2021 we’re studying Joyce Meyer’s newest book: Do It Afraid. We’re learning how to understand fear, to recognize how it works in our life and finally how to confront fear. We will learn new mindsets that position us for freedom from our most common fears. Come along and let’s learn something new from Momma Joyce! This is the third post in The Do It Afraid Book Study series.

Freedom from the Fear of Rejection

Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me. ~ Luke 10:16

While we all experience some form of rejection. We will never know the amount of rejection that Jesus experienced. He knew who He was and why He had come to earth to do. Because He kept His eyes on His Father’s love, the rejection of people didn’t change Him.

The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me, and I will always accept them.~ John 6:37

In the above verse, Jesus tells us that those who come to Him will never be rejected.  We can trust God loves us unconditionally and be delivered from the fear of every being rejected by God for any reason. With confidence in God’s love for us we will be free of the fear of people controlling us or the pain of rejection from others.

“No matter what kinds of fear people face, it all comes from one source, which is the devil. We need to say goodbye to all fear and learn to resist it at its onset. The longer we allow something to remain in our lives, the more deeply rooted it becomes and the harder it is to get rid of.” ~ Joyce Meyer

Many of us have a challenge with our thoughts. Old thought patterns that may go back to our childhood are like recordings rolling over and over in our mind. These negative thoughts keep us in bondage to fear and rejection.

We can reprogram our mind with God’s Word and in just a few minutes everyday change how we think about ourselves. When we declare God’s Word over ourselves with these Scripture-based confessions they will change the image we have of ourselves and help us to see the people and things around us in a new light as well.

Start with these Scripture-based confessions:

I am the apple fo God’s eye. (Psalm 17:8).

I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

God rejoices over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

I am precious in God’s eyes ( Isaiah 43:4).

I have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

When we see ourselves the way God see us and allow His opinion of us be more important that the opinion of others we will have no reason to fear rejection of God or of people.

Take a few minutes to watch/listen to this clip from Mamma Joyce teaching on the Fear of Rejection. Blessings…. Tamara

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Painful Obedience

 

Perseverance3

God has asked me to give up something and honestly I’m not at all happy about it. However, I know if I don’t obey the consequences could be severe, maybe even irreversible. 


So I have no choice but to trust God’s will as I press through the pain. 


The most difficult challenge is that while giving up this habit / behavior I’m living in an environment where I see it every day. 


No matter how tough,  it’s vital that I intentionally keep a good attitude expecting God’s blessing on the other side of this mountain.  

If you’ll willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings. But if you’re willful and stubborn, you’ll die like dogs. ~ Isaiah 1:19-20 MSG

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POWERLESS

powerless woman

 

Step 1: We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies–that our lives had become unmanageable.

 

I think about how many times I’ve complained about maintaining this body of mine. Then God gently says in my spirit they if I weren’t alive I wouldn’t need to care for it at all.

This is the same with our weaknesses of character. It is a huge pain to deal with – but what’s the alternative as long as we are breathing?

As humans we are going to fail over and over again. The answer, of course, comes only by turning our weaknesses over to Him. 

For when I am weak then I am made strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:10

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The 12 Principles of Recovery :: ACCEPTANCE

My recovery work this year is focused on The Principles behind the 12 Steps and asking key questions that will help to learn these core values and put them into practice. 




STEP ONE: We admitted we were powerless over our dependencies, that our life has become unmanageable. 

PRINCIPLE ONE: Acceptance  

KEY QUESTION: What are my limits?


It’s no big surprise that acceptance of our limits should come first in this list! Acceptance is foundational to the recovery process. It is at the core of the 12 Steps and their Principles. 

One of the biggest challenges for any recovering addict is seeing the need for and accepting limitations. Only after recognizing the mess we have made of our lives are we able to accept the limitations needed to prevent future problems.

Most of our limitations are a flimsy fence that’s barely able to stand on its on let alone withstand the wind of temptation. Without a strong fence holding our limits in place we set ourselves up for possible failure. 

I must ask myself now:  Where is my fence weak today? How can I repair the weak places?

CLICK HERE for a song that helps keeps me strong!

**RESOURCES:
A Gentle Path through the Twelve Principles: Living the Values Behind the Steps by Patrick Carnes

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