Word for Today, Wed, 09 Jan 2002: A Fresh Start With God
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Today's message comes from a mailing list put out by New Life
Ministries, a counseling service. A friend of mine sent this to
me, just as I send out regular messages.
The message uses seven key words, with scripture references, that
provide a summary of important steps to spiritual health and
developing an intimate relationship with God. Much of it deals
with admitting where we're at, so that God can work within us and
transform us into who He wants us to be. I think these are some
good tips. I encourage you to examine each of the scripture
passages and see if they are consistent with each of the tips.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
This Week's Free Tips:
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7 Steps to a Fresh Start with God From New Life Ministries
Featured Product: "God of Second Chances cassette" by Steve
Arterburn To buy this tape, click here:
my.newlife.com/cgi-bin/cart/item.pl?item=TPSECOND
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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.
The Boys theboys@newlife.com
God's Blessings and you are special!
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Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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