Tag: Wisdom

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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 TWELVE LIFE RECOVERY GIFTS :: WISDOM

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 seventh post in the series. Today we are learning about the gift of wisdom.

The gift of godly wisdom is a combination of the depth of our relationship with God and our ability to bring our experiences into relationship with Him. ~ The Twelve Gifts of Life Recovery

WISDOM: knowing what’s right and doing it.

And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. ~ James 1:5

“All of us have made wrong choices that have led us into trouble, ultimately affecting our relationship with God and with others. When we ask God for wisdom, He is more than willing to give it. Since God is the source of all wisdom, we can make fewer unwise decisions by turning to Hi for guidance. In recovery we are told to improve our conscious contact with God so we can better know His will for us. This can be achieved by studying God’s Word and praying regularly.” ~ The Life Recovery Bible

We develop the gift of wisdom as we seek God’s will and carry it out. Through daily prayer and meditation in God’s Word, His truth will eventually begin to infiltrate our lives. We will begin to make wiser decisions and soon become strong enough to overcome our weaknesses.

One caution is the sneaky false pride that may try to creep in, telling us that we are strong enough to make it in our own power. That’s a recipe for certain disaster and relapse. Scripture teaches us that pride leads to a fall!

When you act with presumption, convinced that you’re right, don’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face! But humility leads to wisdom. ~ Proverbs 11:2

Stay fully surrendered to God. Do whatever it takes to change your life and keep it changed! It takes a humble heart that’s willing to change and continue a life of recovery.

Be blessed with this sweet song by Colton Kelley.

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WISDOM

In The Serenity Prayer column each month we are studying this well-known prayer phrase by phrase and applying it to our life today. These columns will be published the first Friday of each month in 2019.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

wisdom: knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action, discernment or insight; knowing what is right and doing it.

Feelings are our worst enemy.

When we come to the decision point described in The Serenity Prayer asking to know the difference between things we can change and  the things we can’t change; often our emotions blur the process. Our feelings often keep us attached to people, things and behaviors long after we should’ve let them go.

Where can we get the wisdom that we need?

Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10) So if we start by having a holy reverence for God we’ve made a good first step. James tells us that if we need wisdom to ask for it. (James 1:5) It seems pretty basic and simple. Our biggest challenge is to put aside our pride and ask!

How do we know we have wisdom?

There are several characteristics of wisdom we can look for in our life.

…the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ~ James 3:17

Let peace be the ruler of your heart.

When we’re at a decision crossroad, we can filter our process through the character qualities James teaches us. We can be gentle, showing no favoritism, yielding to others when necessary. Walking in mercy, compassion and sincerity we can prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us with the peace ruling our hearts.

When in doubt do without.

For many years this has been my life motto. When shopping for groceries, buying a car, or taking next steps with important decisions… I stop and check the peace in my gut. If I don’t have a peace I won’t go forward. If there is any doubt at all, I will wait. It’s better to wait than to rush and make what could be a costly mistake.

The Spirit of Wisdom.

As Christians we have within us the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit that created all things is available to guide and direct us in our daily lives as we follow the peace.

As you listen to this beautiful worship song, take a few moments and prayerfully meditate on God’s wisdom and grace that is available to you for the asking.

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Living Life Lessons :: EFFECTIVE LIVING

In the Living Life Lessons column each month I’m sharing various lessons God has taught me over these last eight years. Today I want to talk about living effective lives.

Whether we recognize it or not our lives effect others. If we want to have a healthy effect on our circle of influence we need to take care how we live.

Our strategy for effective living begins with SEEKING WISDOM. Some of us were fortunate to have parents that taught us right from wrong, others maybe not. So where can we find wisdom? The Bible says that wisdom comes from fearing God. This isn’t the trembling-in-your-boots kind of fear, but rather a reverential fear–appreciating God for who He is.

The second requirement in our strategy for effective living is MORAL APPLICATION. Once we have reverential fear we begin trusting in God. By allowing His Word to speak to us personally we come to place of obedience. Our heart lines up with what Scripture says, our spirit is convicted by the Holy Spirit and that makes us ready for changed actions.

The third requirement for effective living is PRACTICAL APPLICATION.  Our hearts have been softened by God’s Word, we’ve sought His wisdom and have begun to obey in our actions. These are often challenges to our daily lives. For me the only answer is to keep God’s Word close to my heart and mind throughout the day. That may mean carrying a 3×5 Scripture card with me everywhere I go.

Results of practicing the above three steps is a healthy, positive and EFFECTIVE LIFE. How do we know? We will begin to actually experience what God does as He honors our obedience. It may not happen right away but we must trust, have faith and expect to see God’s blessing pour out. Just like earthly parents, God loves when His children are obedient and He promises to give us a reward!

Over the last few years I’ve been able to put these steps into practice. There have been times when it was easy and other times, like now, were more difficult.  Today God has me under His refining fire again, taking me to a higher level, which always means change and a deeper surrender to His will for my life.  But as I’m working this process again, I’m going back to what I know works… pulling out my 3×5 cards and relearning some lessons.

My child, listen to me and do as I say and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won’t limp or stumble as you run. Carry out my instructions; don’t forsake them. Guard them, for they will lead you to a fulfilled life. ~ Proverbs 4: 10-12

Do you have a system in place that helps you make needed changes in your life?

If you can’t see the video screen below CLICK HERE for one of my new favorite Hillsong videos!

RESOURCES:
Life Application Study Bible
Life Recovery Bible


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