Quote from Forum Archives on September 24, 2002, 11:56 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Our worth comes from God Himself, who made us, called us His
own, who has taken our condition into account and has made an
atonement for our failings - that is, God, through Jesus Christ,
the God-man, has given us everything we need to live for Him.

Let's remember that today and give up whatever we've been
holding onto today and once again give thanks and praise to God!

I occasionally receive messages from someone who subscribes to
weekly tips from New Life Ministries. This organization
counsels people, based on principles taken from God's Word. In
this week's set of tips, they cover Surrender, Acceptance,
Confession, Responsibility, Forgiveness, Transformation, and
Preservation.

It is easy to dismiss the power of God's Word, but as you can
see in the message below, the Word definitely addresses very
practical every day matters. It is up to each of us to read the
Word and apply it to our own situations and the condition of our
minds. These tips may be helpful to some of you to make a new
beginning. For others, perhaps they will be a reminder of the
things we know but get lax about in the midst of our busy
activities.

I have to tell you, I question many of my own busy activities.
Which of the busy activities are actually worth it? Many things
are necessary to do, and each of us should do them well, but it
is vitally important to never lose focus on why we do them. We
work for two reasons: 1. To earn a living that supports us
and/or our families. 2. To provide a useful service to others,
and in so doing, to work for God. How many of us ever think
about #2? Whether you are a janitor, a software engineer, an
accountant, a home maker, or a pastor, do whatever you do
because you are helping others, and others are helping you, and
as we do so, we demonstrate God's love.

I have to confess to you that even knowing those things, they
are easy to forget, and I have to continually remind myself.
That's what all this "renewing the mind" stuff (see Romans
12:1-2) is all about.

My prayer is that we may be purposeful about the things we
think, say, and do, and that in whatever we do, we do it all for
the glory of God. My friends, that, right there, solves an
incredible number of our every day problems.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

This Week's Free Tips:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Steps to Starting Fresh with God
from New Life Ministries
Featured product: "Forgiving God" by Carla K. McClafferty
To buy this book, click here:
my.newlife.com/cgi-bin/cart/item.pl?item=BK616
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Surrender. Allow God to help you grow as you submit to His
authority. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God,
and in His good time He will honor you. I Peter 5:6

Surrender means:

Humbling yourself before the God of the universe. Admitting
that God is all-powerful and releasing your struggles to Him.

Refusing to escape into the old patterns, habits and attitudes
that continue to distract you from destructive direction of your
life.

No longer saying, "I can handle this myself."

Submitting to God's way of doing things, even though you don't
understand it. Getting past your pain and fear and clinging to
hope in God and His love for you.

Setting aside your human understanding and becoming childlike,
acknowledging that you have no answers that work.

2. Acceptance. Accept the full reality of your situation. Lord,
you have examined my heart and know everything about me. Psalm
139:1

Acceptance means:

To stop lying to yourself about the failures, sins and
heartaches in your life, and to begin to acknowledge the truth
about your situation. To consider what you criticize in others
as a clue to what you may be denying in yourself.

To face your past, your pain and your failures head-on.

To stop blaming others for your difficulties.

To seek, receive and apply God's wisdom To look at what you've
done in the light of God's mercy and grace.

To accept that you are unable to help yourself without God's
help.

To name your character defects and mistakes rather than deny
them.

3. Confession. Begin to open up about the reality of your
life. Confess your sins one to each other and pray for each
other so that you may be healed. James 5:16

Confession means:

You submit yourself to God's way of handling secrets, respecting
His desire for openness and vulnerability among His people.

You are willing to overcome your fear of rejection by revealing
your failures to another person.

You reject your habit of self-protective secretiveness.

You admit to at least one other person that you have fallen
short of God's best, including your character defects and
judgment errors.

You have stopped trying to mask your true feelings.

You have chosen to humble yourself before both God and
others. You renounce your independence and admit that you need
help from fellow believers. You put your vague sense of guilt
into written or spoken words and express the situation without
making excuses.

4. Responsibility. Take responsibility to make necessary changes
for spiritual growth to occur. For we are each responsible for
our own conduct. Galatians 6:5

Taking responsibility means:

You face your problems rather than escape them.

You take the time to grieve your losses and experience pain.

You believe Jesus' words: "Blessed are those who mourn for they
will be comforted."

You stop playing the role of victim.

You are willing to bear the full responsibility of your
misconduct.

You no longer blame others for your sins.

You reach out to Christ, who is fully capable of understanding
your emotional pain having suffered abuse and rejection Himself.

You look beyond your losses at God's deeper purposes.

You accept the hope that God's plans for you are always good and
loving.

You refuse to allow anything from your past to be an excuse for
lack of growth or character development.

5. Forgiveness. Forgive your own failures and the failures of
those who have hurt you. If you forgive those who sin against
you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. Matthew 6:14

Forgiveness means:

You hand back your rights to God (the rights you usurped from
Him) and invite Him to be in charge.

Asking for forgiveness and making restitution for the damage
you've done.

You no longer energize yourself with rage or hatred.

You step out of the past and into the present.

You accept the pardon of the Cross for others as well as for
yourself.

You obey Jesus' instructions to forgive so that you can be
forgiven.

You begin a process of forgiveness which may continue for a
lifetime Living in the light of God's forgiveness.

To sift through your life and discard the resentments and hurts
of the past.

6. Transformation. Transform your pain into a purposeful mission
out of your desire to share with others and love them. All
praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the
source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts
us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When
others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same
comfort God has given us. II Corinthians 1:3-4

Transformation means:

To step out of your pain and into the needs of others.

To participate in God's process of working all things together
for good.

To seek ways of applying past pain to positive purposes.

You stop saying "Why me, Lord?" and start saying, "What do you
want me to do?".

Being a giver instead of a taker.

Learning to listen rather than always needing to be heard.

You allow your humbling experiences to give you a servant's
heart Investing your spiritual gifts in the lives of others.

The discovery of your God given spiritual gifts and the
utilization of those gifts in reaching and serving others.

7. Preservation. Protect the spiritual gains you have made and
persevere through life's inevitable struggles. So make every
effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your
life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence.
A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. II Peter
1:5

Preservation means:

You establish boundaries that prevent your return to sick and
sinful behaviors.

You continue to forgive and to be forgiven.

You avoid secrecy by remaining accountable to others, while
being a trustworthy confidant for their secrets.

You choose to be part of a godly community Reading God's Word,
meditating upon it, praying daily, and practicing spiritual
disciplines. Developing, with God's help, a deep and godly
character. Being patient with yourself when you slip. Moving
forward while remembering where you've been. Continuing the
process of surrender - day by day, year by year.

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We have many helpful resources that deal with this issue. To
browse our Online Store, click here:
my.newlife.com/cgi-bin/cart/catalog.pl Or, perhaps
you're in crisis and need to find a Christian counselor in your
area. We can help. Call us, toll-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week at 1-800-NEW-LIFE and we'll help in any way we can. We
hope that you enjoy the free tips each week. Thank you so much
for your support of New Life Live! and New Life Ministries. May
God bless you today.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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