The Knot For My Rope

Devotional for Monday, October 7, 2002 by Brenda Wood

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not [there is nothing to fear] for
I am with you. Do not look around you in terror and be
dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen and
harden you to difficulties. Yes I will help you. Yes I
will hold you up and retain you with my [victorious]
right hand of righteousness and justice. (Amplified)

For years I was afraid of everything. I feared the
dark, getting lost, being alone. I was even afraid of
not having enough to eat.

This last fear drove me to gluttony. I ate whole
chocolate cakes, and stashed food in weird places. I
ate anything and everything, anywhere I could.

Then I had a new fear. I was afraid that I would
become fatter than I already was. I didn't know the
God who said, "I do not judge as man judges.  Man
looks at the outward appearance but I look at the
heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 GNB)

In desperation, I decided to get rid of any food that
I swallowed - only later to discover that "it" is an
uncontrollable disease called bulimia. For sixteen
years "it" controlled me.

There is an old saying, "When you reach the end of
your rope, tie a knot and hang on." When I reached the
end of my rope, somebody was there to give me the
knot. Somebody told me about Jesus.

Oh! this Jesus! Jesus, who knows everything about us.
Jesus, who loves us unconditionally. Jesus, who loved
us so much that He died on the cross for us, rose from
the dead for us, and changed our lives for us!

Prayer: Oh God, thank You for hearing our desperate
cries. When we had nowhere to turn, there You were.
Especially today, God, thank You for those who carry
the message of hope, the truth about Jesus, who is the
knot at the end of our ropes. Amen.

Brenda Wood brcwood@s...
Sandy Cove, Ontario, Canada

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Freedom from Fear

There is a sense in which every form of fear is
essentially the fear of death. Jesus came to deliver
us from that in all its forms. "He became a human
being so that by going through death as a man he might
destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil; and might also set free those who lived their
whole lives a prey to the fear of death" (Heb 2:14,15
JBP).

I know people whose lives are totally controlled by
fear. There is no bondage more powerful and crippling.
Fear takes over the mind, coercing and circumscribing
all its activity. We know where that spirit of fear
originates, and we know the name of the enemy who
would hold us enslaved. In the name of our God we must
tread down our enemies, including all the nagging
"what ifs" of our lives. To those frightening
possibilities Christ answers, "I will never leave you
or forsake you." Let the very worst thing come to
pass--even there, especially there, his hand will hold
us. If we go into darkness, He is there, has been
there before us, has conquered all its powers. That's
why He became a man. That's why He died. That's why He
rose again.

My Lord and my God--forgive my fears. Deliver me from
bondage by the power of your resurrection.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Making sense of adversity.

When a crisis enters your life how do you respond? Os
Hillman was a successful advertising agency executive
who's world quickly changed when his marriage,
business and personal finances all crashed at the same
time. One day things were status quo, the next day he
questioned the reality of God.  What He learned in the
process will help you make sense of unexpected events
that God brings into your life. For more, check out
Adversity & Pain: The Gifts Nobody Wants by Os
Hillman. Order Adversity & Pain: The Gifts Nobody
Wants

The Strength of Brokenness
Thursday, June 19, 2003

by Os Hillman

The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who
stumbled are armed with strength. -- 1 Samuel 2:4

There is an oxymoron throughout the Bible. It says
that brokenness is strength. How can this be? How can
brokenness be strength? In order to use men and women
to their fullest extent, the Lord has to break His
servants so that they might have a new kind of
strength that is not human in origin. It is strength
in spirit that is born only through brokenness.

Paul was broken on the Damascus road. Peter was broken
after Jesus was taken prisoner. Jacob was broken at
Peniel. David was broken after his sin with Bathsheba.
The list could go on of those the Lord had to break in
different ways before they could be used in the
Kingdom.

When we are broken, we see the frailty of human
strength and come to grips with the reality that we
can do nothing in our own strength. Then, new strength
emerges that God uses mightily. God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.

Do not fear brokenness. For it may be the missing
ingredient to a life that emerges with a new kind of
strength and experience not known before.  Pray for a
broken and contrite heart that God can bless.



God bless you all!
BK

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Hello, women.  Thought this was great.  Hope you enjoy
it, too.

:) BK

Wounds Can Change Your Heart

Living in a world broken by sin, we suffer wounds of
many kinds. Perhaps the most painful are not the
physical ones but those of the heart. No one has power
to hurt us more deeply than somebody we love, somebody
we counted on to understand and support us. But there
are two ways to receive wounds. One leads to larger
life. The other leads straight to death, that is to
destruction--of those we influence as well as of
ourselves.

By grace we can receive the wounds of our friends as
our Master received them--in the strength and for the
glory of our heavenly Father. Being sinners ourselves,
however, we need to be brought low at the cross.
Nothing will do this better than some piercing
heart-wound, provided we seek Christ because of it and
pray Him to purify us.

There is another way--the world's way. It is anger,
resentment, retaliation, retreat into pride and
self-justification. These are quite natural, and quite
lethal. The choice is ours.

"The wound which is borne in God's way brings a change
of heart too salutary to regret, but the hurt which is
borne in the world's way brings death" (2 Cor 7:10 NEB).

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Hello, women!  I'm out of town right now, teaching at
a Chi Alpha Campus Ministries conference in RI, and
having a great time!  But I wanted to send you
something to encourage you.  Enjoy!  Focus on the
truth of these verses.  God is so awesome :)

300 Verses Telling Us Who We Are In Christ!!! =)
1. I am able - Philippians 4:13
2. I am abounding in grace - 2 Corinthians 9:8
3. I am abounding in hope - Romans 15:4, 13
4. I am Abraham's offspring - Galatians 3:29
5. I am abundant - John 10:10
6. I am accepted - Ephesians 1:6
7. I have access - Ephesians 2:18
8. I am adequate - 2 Corinthians 3:5
9. I am adopted - Ephesians 1:5
10. I am alive - Ephesians 2:4-5
11. I am an ambassador for Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:20
12. I am anointed - 1 John 2:20
13. I am anxious for nothing - Philippians 4:6
14. I am the apple of His eye - Zechariah 2:8
15. I am appointed by God - John 15:16
16. I am the aroma of Christ - 2 Corinthians 2:15
17. I am not ashamed - 2 Timothy 1:12
18. I am assured of reward - 1 Corinthians 15:58
19. I am assured of success - Proverbs 16:3
20. I have authority over the devil - Luke 9:1
21. I am baptized into Christ - 1 Corinthians 12:15
22. I am beautiful - Psalm 149:4
23. I am becoming a mature person - Ephesians 4:13
24. I am becoming conformed to Christ - Romans 8:29
25. I am a believer - Romans 10:9
26. I belong to God - John 17:9
27. I am betrothed - Hosea 2:19-20
28. I am blameless - 1 Corinthians 1:8
29. I am blessed - Ephesians 1:3
30. I am blood bought - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
31. I am bold - Proverbs 28:1
32. I am a bond-servant - Psalm 116:16
33. I am born of God - 1 John 5:18
34. I am born again - 1 Peter 1:23
35. I am bought with a price - 1 Corinthians 6:20
36. I am a branch of the True Vine - John 15:5
37. I am His bride - Isaiah 54:5
38. I am His brother - Hebrews 2:11
39. I am brought near - Ephesians 2:13
40. I am built up - 1 Peter 2:5
41. I am buried with Christ - Romans 6:4
42. I am called - 1 Peter 5:10
43. I am calm - Philippians 4:6
44. I am cared for - 1 Peter 5:7
45. I am carried - Exodus 19:4
46. I am changed - 1 Samuel 10:6
47. I am a child of God - John 1:12
48. I am cherished - Ephesians 5:29
49. I am chosen - 1 Peter 2:9
50. I am circumcised spiritually - Colossians 2:11
51. I am a citizen of heaven - Philippians 3:20
52. I am clay in the potter's hand - Jeremiah 18:6
53. I am clean - Ezekiel 36:25; John 15:3
54. I am cleansed - 1 John 1:7,9
55. I am clothed with Christ - Galatians 3:27
56. I am a co-heir with Christ - Romans 8:17
57. I am comforted - Jeremiah 31:13
58. I am complete in Christ - Colossians 2:10
59. I am confident - 1 John 4:17
60. I am confident of answers to prayer - 1 John
5:14-15
61. I am confident He will finish me - Philippians 1:6
62. I am confident He will never leave me - Hebrews
13:5-6
63. I am a conqueror - Romans 8:37
64. I am content - Philippians 4:11
65. I am content with weakness - 2 Corinthians 12:10
66. I am continually with God - Psalm 73:23
67. I am controlled by the love of Christ - 2
Corinthians 12:10
68. I am courageous - 1 Chronicles 28:20
69. I am created in Christ for good works - Ephesians
2:10
70. I am created in His image - Genesis 1:27
71. I am crucified with Him - Galatians 2:20
72. I am dead in Christ - Romans 6:4
73. I am dead to sin - Romans 6:11
74. I am a delight - Psalm 147:11
75. I am delighted in - Isaiah 42:1
76. I am delivered - Psalm 107:6
77. I am desired - Psalm 45:11
78. I am determined - Philippians 4:13
79. I am a disciple - John 8:31-32
80. I am disciplined - Hebrews 12:5-11
81. I am drawing near with confidence - Hebrews 4:16
82. I am empowered to obey - Philippians 2:13
83. I am encouraged - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
84. I am enlightened - Ephesians 1:18
85. I am enriched in everything - 1 Corinthians 1:5
86. I am equipped - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
87. I am established Deuteronomy 28:9
88. I have eternal life - John 3:36
89. I have every good thing - Philemon 6
90. I am exalted at His right hand - Acts 2:34-35
91. I am faithful - Revelation 17:14
92. I am family - Psalm 68:5
93. I am far from oppression - Isaiah 54:14
94. I am favored - Job 10:12
95. I am a fellow citizen with the saints - Ephesians
2:19
96. I am a fellow worker - Colossians 4:11
97. I am filled - Acts 2:4
98. I am filled to the fullness of God - Colossians
2:9-10
99. I am filled with the fruit of righteousness -
Philippians 1:11
100. I am filled with the fruit of the Spirit -
Galatians 5:22-23
101. I am filled with the knowledge of His will -
Colossians 1:9
102. I am filled with joy - John 17:13
103. I am a finished product in progress - Philippians
1:6
104. I am a first fruit - Romans 8:23
105. I am forgiven - Ephesians 1:7
106. I am formed in the womb by God - Jeremiah 1:5
107. I was lost, but now I'm found - Luke 19:10
108. I am a fragrance - 1 Corinthians 1:15-16
109. I am free - John 8:36
110. I am freely given all things - Romans 8:32
111. I am gifted - Romans 12:6
112. I am given His magnificent promises - 2 Peter
1:3-4
113. I am given His Holy Spirit - 2 Corinthians 1:22
114. I am glorified with Him - 2 Thessalonians 2:14
115. I am God's child - John 1:12
116. I am God's gift to Christ - John 17:24
117. I know God is for me - Romans 8:31
118. I am gracious - Proverbs 22:11
119. I am granted grace in Christ Jesus - Romans
5:17,20
120. I am guarded by God - 2 Timothy 1:12
121. I am guarded by God's peace - Philippians 4:7
122. I am guaranteed - Ephesians 1:13-14
123. I am guided - Psalm 48:14
124. I am guiltless - Romans 8:1
125. I am the head - Deuteronomy 28:13
126. I am healed - 1 Peter 2:24
127. I am healthy - Deuteronomy 7:15
128. I am an heir of God - Titus 3:7
129. I am helped by Him - Isaiah 44:2
130. I am hidden with Christ in God - Colossians 3:3
131. I am His - Isaiah 43:1
132. I am His handiwork - Ephesians 2:10
133. I am holy - Ephesians 1:4
134. I am honored - 2 Timothy 2:21
135. I am humble -Philippians 2:24
136. I am the image of God - Genesis 1:27
137. I am the image and glory of God - 1 Corinthians
11:7
138. I am an imitator of God - Ephesians 5:1
139. I am in Christ Jesus - 1 Corinthians 1:30
140. I am included - Ephesians 1:13
141. I am indestructible - John 6:51
142. I am indwelt by Christ Jesus - John 14:20
143. I am indwelt by His Spirit - Romans 8:11
144. I am inscribed on His palms - Isaiah 49:16
145. I am inseparable from His love - Romans 8:35
146. I am an instrument of righteousness - Romans 6:13
147. I am joyful - Philippians 4:4
148. I am justified - Acts 13:39
149. I am kept - Isaiah 38:17
150. I am in a Kingdom of priests - Revelation 1:6
151. I am a king's kid - Psalm 44:4
152. I know all things work together for good - Romans
8:28
153. I know Whom I believe - 2 Timothy 1:12
154. I am known - 2 Timothy 2:19
155. I lack no wisdom - James 1:5
156. I am lavished with riches of His grace -
Ephesians 1:7-8
157. I am led in Christ's triumph - 2 Corinthians 2:14
158. I am liberated - Romans 6:23
159. I have life abundant - 1 John 4:9; John 10:10
160. I have life and peace in the Spirit - Romans 8:6
161. I have light - John 8:12
162. I am a light in a dark place - Acts 13:47
163. I have life flowing through me - John 7:38
164. I am like a watered garden - Isaiah 58:11
165. I am a living stone in a spiritual house - 1
Peter 2:5
166. I am the Lord's - Isaiah 44:5
167. I am loved - John 3:16
168. I am loved constantly, unconditionally - Isaiah
43:4
169. I am loyal - Psalm 86:2
170. I am made by Him - Psalm 100:3
171. I am a magnifier of God - Psalm 69:30
172. I am marked - Ephesians 1:13
173. I am a member of His body - Ephesians 5:30
174. I am might in God - Luke 10:19
175. I have the mind of Christ - 1 Corinthians 2:16
176. I am a minister - 2 Corinthians 3:6
177. I am a minister of reconciliation - 2 Corinthians
5:18-19
178. I am a mountain mover - Mark 11:22-23
179. I am named - Isaiah 43:1
180. I am near to God - Ephesians 2:13
181. I am never forsaken - Hebrews 13:5
182. I am new - Ephesians 4:24
183. I an new born - 1 Peter 2:2
184. I am a new creation - 2 Corinthians 5:17
185. I have new life - Romans 6:4
186. I am part of a new race - 1 Peter 2:9
187. 1 am not condemned - Romans 8:1
188. I am no longer a slave to sin - Romans 6:6
189. I have not been given a spirit of fear - 1
Timothy 1:7
190. I am obedient - Isaiah 1:19
191. I am an object of mercy - Romans 9:23
192. I am obtained an inheritance - Ephesians 1:11
193. I am of God's household - Ephesians 2:19
194. I am on the winning side - Colossians 2:15
195. I am one with Him - John 17:23-24
196. I am an overcomer - 1 John 5:4-5
197. I am pardoned - Jeremiah 33:8
198. I am a partaker of Christ - Hebrews 3:14
199. I am a partaker of the Holy Spirit - Hebrews 6:4
200. I am a partaker of grace - Philippians 1:7
201. I am a partaker of the promise in Christ -
Ephesians 3:6
202. I have passed from death to life - John 5:24
203. I am patient - James 5:8
204. I have peace - Philippians 4:7
205. I am one of the people of God - 1 Peter 2:9
206. I am being perfected - 1 Peter 5:10
207. I am pleasing to God - Psalm 149:4
208. I am God's own possession - Titus 2:14
209. I am possessor of all things - 1 Corinthians
3:21-23
210. I have the power of God behind me - Philippians
3:21
211. I have power - Acts 1:8
212. I have power over the devil - Luke 9:1
213. I am predestined - Ephesians 1:11
214. I am prepared beforehand for glory - Romans 9:23
215. I am prosperous - Psalm 1:3
216. I am protected - Psalm 91:14
217. I am provided for - Matthew 6:33
218. I am purchased - Revelation 5:9
219. I am purposeful - Psalm 138:8
220. I am qualified - Colossians 1:12
221. I am raised up with Christ - Ephesians 2:6
222. I am ransomed with Him - Isaiah 35:10
223. I am rare - Proverbs 20:15
224. I have received mercy - 1 Peter 2:10
225. I have received an unshakable Kingdom - Hebrews
12:28
226. I am reconciled to God - Romans 5:10
227. I am redeemed - Galatians 3:13
228. I am refined - Isaiah 48:10
229. I am reigning with Him - Romans 5:17
230. I am rejoicing - Romans 5:2-3
231. I am renewed - 2 Corinthians 4:16
232. I am His representative - Matthew 5:16
233. I am rescued - Colossians 1:13
234. I have rest provided - Matthew 11:28-30
235. I am rewarded by God - Isaiah 49:4
236. I am rich - 2 Corinthians 8:9
237. I am righteous - Ephesians 4:22
238. I am rooted and built up in Him - Colossians 2:7
239. I am royalty - Romans 5:17; 8:16-17
240. I am a royal priesthood - 1 Peter 2:9
241. I am safe - Psalm 4:8
242. I am a saint of God - Psalm 34:9
243. I am the salt of the earth - Matthew 5:13
244. I am sanctified - 1 Corinthians 6:11
245. I am satisfied - Jeremiah 31:14
246. I am saved - Ephesians 2:8
247. I am sealed by God with His Holy Spirit -
Ephesians 1:13
248. I am seated with Him - Ephesians 2:6
249. I am secure - Deuteronomy 33:12
250. I am sent - John 20:21
251. I am set free - John 8:31-32,36
252. I am sharing Christ's inheritance - Romans 8:17
253. I am sharing His glory - John 17:22,24
254. I am His sheep - Psalm 23:1
255. I am sheltered - Psalm 91:1
256. I am shielded - Psalm 91:4
257. I am a slave to righteousness - Romans 6:18
258. I am His soldier - 2 Timothy 2:3-4
259. I am a son of God - Romans 8:14
260. I am stable - Isaiah 33:6
261. I am standing in His grace - Romans 5:2
262. I am standing firm in Christ - 2 Corinthians 1:21
263. I have my steps established by the Lord - Psalm
37:23
264. I am strengthened in Him - Ephesians 3:16
265. I am strong in the Lord - 1 Corinthians 1:8
266. I am amply supplied - Philippians 4:18
267. I am sustained from birth - Psalm 71:6
268. I am a temple - 1 Corinthians 3:16
269. I am thought about - Psalm 139:17-18
270. I am transferred into His Kingdom - Colossians
1:13
271. I am transformed - 2 Corinthians 3:18
272. I am treasured - Psalm 83:3
273. I am triumphant - 2 Corinthians 2:14
274. I am unafraid - Isaiah 44:2; 51:12
275. I am understood - Ephesians 1:8
276. I am united with Christ - Romans 6:5
277. I am upheld - Psalm 37:17
278. I am upright - Psalm 7:10
279. I am unblemished - Colossians 1:22
280. I have understanding - 2 Timothy 2:7
281. I am useful for His glory - Isaiah 43:7
282. I am valuable - Luke 12:24
283. I live in victory - 1 Corinthians 15:57
284. I am walking in His light - 1 John 1:7
285. I am a warrior - 2 Corinthians 10:4
286. I am washed - Titus 3:5
287. I am watching for His return - Luke 12:37
288. I am weak, then I am strong - 2 Corinthians 12:10
289. I am in a wealthy place - Psalm 66:12
290. I am welcome - Luke 11:9
291. I am being made whole - Mark 5:34
292. I put on the whole armor of God - Ephesians 6:11
293. I am wise - Proverbs 2:6
294. I am His witness - Acts 1:8
295. I am His workmanship - Ephesians 2:10
296. I am not of this world - John 17:14
297. I am His worshiper - Psalm 95:6
298. I am worthy - Revelation 3:4
299. I am yielded to God - Romans 6:13
300. I am yoked with Jesus - Matthew 11:29

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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HEllo, friends!  Since I last wrote you, we're up to
37 members!  Praise God!

So, this devotional is a long one.  It's about God's
heart for us.  It's a really good one for those of us
who didn't grow up with the best examples of parents.
Often, we get confused about God being our Father
because we relate it too much to our earthly parents.
Remember - God is perfect, and they aren't.  Any,
enjoy the devotional!


The Father Heart of God By John Dawson

Have you ever wondered what God thinks of you? Is it
hard for you to believe He loves you as much as the
Bible says He does? God is so big and He sometimes
seems so distant - but what is He really like? Do you
really know Him? You've heard His instructions, but do
you know anything about His emotions or His character?


One of the most wonderful revelations of the Bible is
that God is our Father. What do you think of when you
hear the word "father"? Do you automatically think of
protection, provision, warmth, and tenderness? Or does
the word "father" paint different kinds of pictures
for you? God reveals Himself in the Bible as a gentle,
forgiving Father, intimately involved with each and
every detail of our lives. It is not only a beautiful
picture, but a true one. However, every person seems
to have a different idea of what God is like, because
they unconsciously tend to attach the feelings and
impressions that they have of their own earthly father
to their concept of their Heavenly Father. Each
person's own experience with human authority is
usually transferred over to how they relate to God.
Good experiences bring us closer to knowing and
understanding God, just as bad experiences create
distorted pictures of our Father's love for us.

What did God have in mind when He created the family?
The Bible says, "God makes a home for the lonely
(Psalm 68:6 NASB) A family involves a circle of
relationship including an adult male and female, into
which tiny, dependent human beings are born and
raised. Why do we enter the world as such helpless,
inadequate persons, and then slowly grow up
physically, mentally, and emotionally into
self-sufficient adults? Have you ever wondered why God
didn't come up with some sort of reproduction system
that would produce a physically completed person such
as His original creation of Adam and Eve?

I believe God wanted us to come into this world
totally dependent and helpless, because He intends the
family unit to be a place where His love is
demonstrated to both parent and child. As parents we
begin to really understand God's heart towards us as
His children. And as children, it is God's will for us
to see His love revealed through parental tenderness,
mercy, and discipline.

But what if the ideal did not happen? What if you have
been failed in some way by parental authority? So many
have suffered hurt and rejection by their families
that it is hard for them to see God as He really is.
Understanding the character of God is essential if we
are to love Him, serve Him, and be like Him

I want to talk about six different areas of
misconception concerning God and His love for us. For
ease of communication I will be referring almost
exclusively to God's qualities of fatherhood. However,
a full revelation of God's parental love is incomplete
without the presence of the male and female attributes
of parental affection. "And God created man in His own
image, in the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them." (Genesis 1:27 NASB) I want
you to look back into your personal past and see if
your relationship with God has been hindered in any
way because of a failure or absence of tender loving
care from one or both of your parents.

I. Parental Authority
Have you ever turned into the driveway of a friend's
house to be greeted by the family dog? The foolish
mutt will either cower away from you, trembling with
fear, or leap upon you with an unwanted display of
affection, demonstrated with tongue, tail, and dirty
paws. The browbeaten puppy that cannot be induced to
trust you has obviously been mistreated. The exuberant
mongrel attempting to give you a facial with his
tongue has obviously come from a loving home.

So it is when God approaches man. Our past experiences
dictate our response when God reaches out to us. A
weeping prophet named Hosea heard the voice of God
saying, "When Israel was a child I loved him, and out
of Egypt I called My son. But the more I called
Israel, the further they went from Me. They sacrificed
to the baals and they burned incense to images. It was
I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I
led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of
love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down
to feed them." (Hosea 11:1-4 LB) God's authority is
not harsh and vindictive, but to the contrary, He is
unspeakably gentle and long-suffering.

The other day I rushed into my den urgently needing
some information from my files. As I sorted
frantically through my papers, my five-year-old son
repeatedly blew his shrill tin whistle. I told him
again and again to stop. There was a period of silence
followed by a deafening blast right next to my ear,
including a spray of saliva. I reached around, swatted
him with the back of my hand and bellowed at him in
anger. Immediately I felt that the Spirit of God had
been grieved. I remembered the biblical statement that
God is slow to anger and delights to be merciful. I
took my son in my arms and asked him to forgive me. It
was only right that I should correct his disobedience,
but our children should always know that we discipline
them because we love them, and not because we are
venting our momentary frustration.

Our Heavenly Father is at this very moment being
slandered and misrepresented all over the world by
man's cruelty and selfishness. Not only in the home,
but in all forms of human government. His laws of love
have been ignored and our mangled hearts continue on
in carrying out injustice to all those smaller and
weaker than ourselves.

What horror is God seeing at this moment? A bedroom
door bursts open. A small boy is slapped awake by a
drunken and angry man in the middle of the night "The
sprinklers are still on. It's a flood. I'll teach you,
boy!" The terrified child is beaten mercilessly by the
dark, hulking shape of a man he calls "Daddy."

A 15-year-old prostitute with blank, empty eyes,
mechanically performs through a night of degradation
on Hollywood Boulevard. She doesn't care what happens
to her. She hasn't felt clean since the night she was
molested by her own father.

A wounded generation stumbles through their youthful
years, only to visit the same hurts on their own
children. Generation after generation it goes on. Is
there no one to comfort us? Who will father the
children of men? Whose arms are big enough for all the
lonely children of the world? Who weeps over our
pains? Who will comfort us in our loneliness? ONLY
GOD. A BROKEN-HEARTED FATHER who is rejected by the
little ones He yearns to heal. Our problem is that we,
like the browbeaten puppy, shrink away from the One
who we assume will be like the other authorities in
our lives. But He is not He is perfect love. It was
God who gave this command to parents in Ephesians 6:4:
"Parents don't keep on scolding and nagging your
children, making them angry and resentful. Rather,
bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord
Himself approves."(LB)

II. Parental Faithfulness
Every promise of God will be fulfilled. He is
consistently loving. His one heart motive remains the
same through time and eternity. He never changes. He
only desires to show love and forgiveness.

Do you distrust God? Our distrust hurts Him deeply.
What if I came home to my wife and children after a
long journey and they ran away from me when I opened
the door and called their names. I would be terribly
hurt.

You are God's child and even now He calls your name,
but maybe deep in your heart you doubt His
faithfulness. As a child you may have experienced the
complete absence of a father because of death or
divorce. Maybe you were orphaned by the demands of
your parents' career? Or is it just the childhood
memory of broken promises or neglect that haunts you?
Some of you screamed for hours as babies but nobody
came to relieve you of your discomfort and hunger.
Some of you whimpered behind locked doors, a small
child, forgotten and alone.

Do you have an inability to sense His presence with
you? Is your heart soft towards God or hardened with
cynicism and distrust? Look up into His eyes and see
His love for you. "I will never desert you, nor will I
ever forsake you... I am with you always even until
the end of the age. "(Heb. 13:5; Matt.28:20 NASB)

You may say to me, "But if He has loved me so much,
then why haven't I felt Him or seen Him?" It isn't God
who has failed you my friend, but I and those who know
His love personally. Too many times we have failed to
become His voice and His hands to those who do not
know Him. Far too few allow themselves to be driven by
the broken heart of Jesus into the dark corners of
this world where the poor and needy wait Jesus is not
attracted to pleasant places, but to hurting people.
He pursues us with His love from our first breathing
moment until the day we die.

Your Heavenly Father was there when you first walked
as a child. He was there through hurts and
disappointments. He is present now at this moment. You
were briefly loaned to human parents who, for a few
years, were supposed to have showered you with love
like His love. But you are and always will be a child
of God, made in His image. Your loving Father awaits
even now with outstretched arms. What would keep you
from Him?

Few people know God in all His loveliness while living
this brief life. Many of us are like the thief who
died on the cross next to Jesus. Outwardly he saw a
bloody, disfigured body, but soon he began to perceive
the true nature of Jesus, and at the last minute,
entered by faith into the family of God. We too must
see past the religious and commercial mutations of
Jesus, and behold the God of Love who still stands
with open arms saying, "I came that you might have
life and that more abundantly." (John 10:10 NASB)

"Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, He
remains faithful to us who are part of Himself and He
will always carry out His promises to us. "(11
Tim.2:13 LB)

III. Parental Generosity
A few years ago I stood in a native village in the
South Pacific, watching the children play. It occurred
to me that these children would very seldom hear the
words, "Don't touch that! Leave it alone! Be careful!"
Their homes were simple, consisting of earth floors,
thatched roofs, and mats that rolled down to serve as
walls at night.

In contrast, our modern homes are stuffed with
expensive and fragile furnishings and appliances that
represent a minefield of potential rejection and
rebuke for inquisitive toddlers. How many mothers have
exploded in anger at a child who has damaged a
treasured object of great expense or sentimental
value. Children are constantly reminded of the
importance of things - their value, and how to care
for them. Very few times do they hear the simple
words, "I love you."

A repetitious and destructive chant is working its way
into the subconscious minds of our children, "Things
are more important than me. Things are more important
than me!" What are we to do? Abandon our modem homes?
Obviously not. But we do need to realize that our
concept of God's generosity may have been crippled by
our childhood experiences.

The truth is that God is innately generous. Creation
shows an extravagance of color, complexity, and design
that goes far beyond simple functional value. At this
moment, high in the Italian Alps, a tiny white flower
glistens in the sunlight. It has never been seen by
the human eye in all of its seasons of bloom. It is
not an essential part of the food chain. It was
created by God in the hope that one day a son of Adam
or a daughter of Eve might glance at it and be blessed
by its beauty.

The greatest demonstration of God's father heart seems
to come with His attention to the details of our life.
He surprises us with those extra things, those little
pleasures and treasures that only a father would know
we yearn for. God is not stingy, possessive, or
materialistic. We use people to get things, He uses
things to bless people.

My family and I have worked as missionaries since
1972, trusting God for our daily needs. Our testimony
is that in providing for us, God goes far beyond or
basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. We serve a
truly generous God! The Psalmist said, "Trust in the
Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate
faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He
will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your
way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do
it." (Psalm 37:3-5 NASB)

IV. Parental Affection
Do you have any idea how attractive you are to God?
One of the biggest hindrances to our walk with Him is
a sense that our flesh is repulsive to Him because of
sin. When my small son is covered with mud from the
back yard, I pick him up and clean him off with the
garden hose. I reject the mud, not the boy. Yes, you
have sinned. Yes, you have broken God's heart. But you
are still the center of God's affections - the apple
of His eye. It is He who pursues us with a forgiving
heart. We say, "I found the Lord," but the truth is,
He found us.

Many children, particularly boys, have had no physical
display of affection from their fathers, or no real
compassion when they are hurt. Because of our false
concept of masculinity, we are told, "Don't cry son,
boys don't cry." Jesus is not like that. His
compassion and understanding are measureless. He feels
our hurts more deeply than we do because His
sensitivity to suffering is so much greater.

I once had to hold my screaming two-year-old while a
doctor stitched a large gash in his forehead. He
quickly forgot his painful experience and fell asleep
in my arms. But I was tormented by the experience and
grieved for hours. You have forgotten most of your
pains, but God has not. He has perfect recall of every
moment of your life. Your tears are still mingled with
His at this very moment

God was there when you experienced cruel teasing in
the school yard and you walked alone avoiding the eyes
of others. When you sat in a math class confused and
dejected, He was with you. At the age of four when you
got lost at the county fair and wandered terrified
through the huge crowd, it was God who turned the
heart of that kind lady who helped you find your
mother. "I led them with cords of human kindness, with
ties of love." (Hosea 11:4 NIV)

Sometimes we don't understand what a fussy, doting
Father God is. Your parents may proudly display
bronzed baby booties on the mantle, pictures in an
album, or trophies on the wall - but how does that
compare with God's infinite capacity to be overjoyed
with your every success? It was actually God who heard
you speak your first real word. The hours you spent
alone exploring new textures with baby hands were a
delight to your Heavenly Father. Some of His greatest
treasures are the memories of your childhood laughter.
There has never been another child like you, and there
never will be.

Moses once invoked a blessing on each of the tribes of
Israel. To one tribe he said, "You shall dwell between
the shoulders of God." What a fantastic blessing! But
that is where you dwell also. Whatever you become in
the eyes of men, even a person of great authority,
fame, or title, you will never cease to be more or
less than a babe in the arms of God.

V. Parental Attentiveness
There is one attribute of God that not even the best
parent can hope to imitate - that is God's ability to
be with you all the time. As parents we just cannot
give constant attention 24 hours a day. We are finite
beings who can only focus on one thing at a time. Not
only is God with you all the time, but He gives you
His whole attention. "Let Him have all your worries
and cares, for He is always thinking about you and
watching everything that concerns you." (I Peter5:7
LB)

God is constantly thinking an uninterrupted stream of
loving thoughts toward you as though nobody else in
the world exists. You say, "How does He do that? How
can He be personally involved with billions of
individuals at the same time?" I don't know, but I
know it's no problem for the Creator of the world.
Perhaps the explanation is the speed of His thought.
There are 5 billion people on this planet. God has
created things in nature that pulsate at incredible
speed. I have heard that the quartz crystal's
molecular structure vibrates at the speed of 9 billion
movements per second. If God could only think that
fast, He could think a loving thought towards you
about twice every second without straining His ability
to relate to the rest of His children. Who knows how
He does it? Just enjoy it! As far as you are
concerned, it's just you and God. You don't have to
get His attention, He's already listening. Don't worry
about taking His time... it's all yours.

Your parents were often preoccupied with their
activities, and sometimes showed no vital interest in
the small events of your life, but God is not that
way. He cares. He is a God of detail. Why does the
Bible say that God has numbered the hairs of your
head? Not because God is concerned with abstract
mathematics. He's not a computer wanting data, it's
just that He's trying to tell us in what detail He
knows us and cares about our lives.

A little boy has worked all afternoon pounding nails
into pieces of scrap wood. He finally emerges from the
garage and shows a three-level battleship to mom. He
can't wait until dad gets home. Dad is late. At 6:30 a
tired, preoccupied man finally arrives. A cold dinner
is waiting, and so are the income tax forms. The
excited boy proudly displays his handiwork to a daddy
who barely looks up from the calculator. Daddy never
looked, never appreciated, but God did. Father God
always looked, always took delight in the work of your
hands. He's your real Father, always will be. Don't
ever resent the failings of your human parents. They
are just kids that grew up and had kids. Rather
rejoice in the wonderful love of your Father God.

VI. Parental Acceptance
We live in a performance-oriented society. Acceptance
is always conditional - if you make the football team,
if you bring home a good report card, if you look
pretty, if you have money, if you win. The kingdom of
this world is a kingdom of rejection. The Kingdom of
God is a kingdom of unconditional love. God's promises
are conditional, we must obey Him to see blessing, but
His love is unconditional. You don't have to wait to
experience the love of God. Come as you are. Just be
honest with Him about your sin - He delights to
forgive you. Even in the depths of your past rebellion
He still loved you. Even God's judgments are motivated
by love.

Many of you have an inability to receive God's love
and approval. You are trapped in a slave-like
relationship with the harsh god of your imagination. A
true love relationship involves the giving and
receiving of love responses. There's one night I will
always remember - the night I proposed to my wife,
Julie. I kissed her and asked her to marry me. What if
she had responded like this, "I'll wash your socks,
I'll clean your car, and I'll type your letters." I
didn't want to hear that! I wanted a response that
matched my feelings of love for her. I wanted to know
that she felt the same way about me.

What is your response to God when He simply says He
loves you? Can you "Be still and know that He is God"
without rushing into frantic activity to earn His
approval? (Psalm 46:10 KJV) One of the greatest
pictures of human peace and contentment is that of a
baby asleep in the arms of a mother after having been
fed at the breast. The child no longer squirms and
demands, but rests in the embrace of loving arms. A
deep mellow contentment wells up into the sound of a
lullaby sung by mothers at times like this. The
prophet Zephaniah described a similar emotion in the
heart of God. "He will save, He will rejoice over thee
with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over
thee with singing." (Zeph. 3:17 KJV)

Don't be so restless in the presence of God. Corrie
ten Boom had some simple advice to offer this
generation. She who experienced so much suffering at
the hands of the Nazis, yet went on to great spiritual
victory, once said to my friends and me, "Don't
wrestle... nestle." What a profound but simple truth.

God already loves you. All through life you have had
to perform and compete. Even as a tiny baby you were
compared with other babies. People said you were "too
fat," or "too thin," or had "his legs" or "her nose,"
but God delighted in your uniqueness and still does.
It's when you bask in the love of the Father that you
cause God to "rest in His love and joy over you with
singing."

Yes, there is much to be done in your life and through
your life. There will be days when God comes bringing
deep conviction of sin, showing you areas of your life
that need to be changed, committed and submitted to
Him. But God is not always demanding changes. He knows
our limits and He gives us the grace and power to do
the things He asks of us. He is tender and
compassionate. Most of the time He just says, "I love
you," and softly speaks your name.

Conclusion
If you see that you have been hindered in your
relationship with God due to some kind of failure of
parental love, then take these things to the Lord. You
must find forgiveness in your heart towards anyone who
has hurt you. If you don't, your bitterness will
consume you and you will find no peace with God.
Realize, too, that you are not alone. I haven't met a
perfect person yet, or a parent who hasn't made
mistakes. Everyone has suffered some kind of hurts in
their life. One of the keys for release is found in
forgiveness. The important thing is that you go
forward and get to know God for who He really is - not
who you think He is. He is the Perfect Parent. He
always disciplines in love. He is faithful, generous,
kind, and just He loves you and He longs to spend time
with you. He wants you to receive His love and know
that you are a special and unique person to Him. Will
you receive God's love and affection? Won't you open
up and enter into an intimate relationship with your
true Father? He is patiently waiting for you to come.
It is my prayer that you will realize His love for you
and respond to the father heart of God.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
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Hello, friends :)  I'm excited to write today that we
are up to 30 members!  Hi, new people.  Isn't that
exciting?

OK - now on to business.  Here's a devotional for you.
  See my comments at the end.
 
What God Wants Done

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests
be made known to God."  Philippians 4:6

When you feel anxious in a task or a relationship,
your anxiety may be signaling the uncertainty of a
goal you have chosen. You are hoping something will
happen, but you have no guarantee that it will. You
can control some of the factors, but not all of them.

For example, a teenager may believe that her happiness
at school depends on her parents allowing her to
attend a school dance. Not knowing how they will
respond, she is anxious. If they say no, she will be
angry because her goal is blocked. But if she knows
all along that there is no possible chance of them
saying yes, she will be depressed because her goal
will not be achieved.

When you base your future success on something that
can never happen, you have an impossible, hopeless
goal. Your depression is a signal that your goal, no
matter how spiritual or noble, may never be reached.
Some forms of depression can be caused by chemical
imbalances. But if there is no physical cause for the
depression, then that depression is the expression of
hopelessness.

No God-given goal can be blocked, uncertain or
impossible. With God all things are possible. If God
issued a command that could not be obeyed, it would
undermine His authority. If God wants it done, it can
be done.

The real question is: What does God want done? The
answer? He wants us to be what He has called us to be.
And if that's what God wants done, no situations or
circumstances of life can keep you from being the
engineer, homemaker, parent, or leader God has called
you to be.

Prayer:
Lord, help me keep my eyes on what You want done in my
life, not on the seemingly impossible hindrances that
keep me from growing in You.

(Source Unknown)

My Thoughts:
I thought this was a Great one for those of us who
struggle with food issues because we often set up
goals for ourselves that are not from God.  Two
Scriptures come to mind:
Proverbs 14:12 (NASB) says "There is a way which seems
right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
(This shows up twice in Proverbs: 14:12, 16:25)


And from Colossians 3:20-23 (NIV): "Since you died
with Christ to the basic principles of this world,
why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit
to its rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not
touch!'? These are all destined to perish with use,
because they are based on human commands and
teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance
of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their
false humility and their harsh treatment of the body,
but they lack any value in restraining sensual
indulgence."

That's a powerful Scripture, huh?  Maybe that's a bit
of a stretch from the original passage, but still
applicable.  It's about setting up rules and plans for
yourself and forgetting to ask God what He has to say.
  And then it doesn't work anyway!

So - just remember to always lay everything down
before God.  He Will show you the way you should go.

Love & Prayers,
BK


=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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It's Good Friday - a cause for prayer and reflection.
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5  Yes, we
have been Promised healing through Christ's sacrifice.
  Rest in that promise.  And in 2 days, we get to
rejoice that God's promise was fulfilled 2000 years
ago in an empty tomb.  Amen!

I pray for you all, that you are blessed today, by
this devotional.

BK

God’s Plan for My Pain
I really resist (or do I resent?) the trite words that
are often given as sage advice to someone who is going
through difficult times:

"Well, just think about poor Aunt Pearl (or your
sister, or someone you knew thirteen years ago, or
someone you don’t even know). What if you were in her
shoes? You can always find someone who has more
problems than you do. Be thankful that yours are not
as bad as theirs. Just think about that . . . you
know, walking in their moccasins for two weeks."

Nope. That’s not what I need to hear. I don’t want my
needs or my circumstances to be minimized. They are
very real to me. Pressing. Hurting. Stressful. No two
problems are alike. Your needs are critically
important to you. My needs are critically important to
me.

God doesn’t minimize my needs or compare them with
"Aunt Pearl’s," but comparing God’s grace with my
needs blows the cobwebs out of my thinking wheels. How
big is God’s grace? Big enough to take care of my
needs? Oh, yes.

But the difficulty arises both in allowing Him to meet
my needs—in His way, in His timing—and in determining
what my real need is. I may think it’s money to pay a
debt when He would say, "No, Anabel. You need to learn
discipline in taking care of the material things I
have given you." I may think my need is release from a
circumstance that I am in when He would tenderly
admonish me, "No, my sweet Anabel. You need to
practice endurance." I may be praying for release from
pain. This, Lord, is my need. Once again He would say,
"No, Anabel. You need to learn true compassion."

So once again I say, "I trust You, Lord." You have
made me and You are now busy conforming me to Your
image. I want that. I don’t want the pain and the
stress and the frustration, but I can’t have one
without the other. I guess it’s kind of like having a
baby. It would be nice to have him without the nine
months of being nauseated and the discomfort of
carrying him around all the time in my tummy, not to
mention the intense pain of helping him make his way
into our world. But that’s a part of motherhood. I
can’t separate one from the other.

My deepest thanks to You, my precious Lord, for your
willingness to go through all of these things with me
. . . for me . . . through me . . . and for letting me
know the expected outcome: to be like You.

We know that God causes all things to work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew
He also predestined to become conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
Romans 8:28,29

© Lifetime Guarantee Ministries


=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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(I wrote some comments at the end.)

GDW 3-28-03
Hiding Among The Baggage

When Samuel became too old to be an effective judge,
the leaders of Israel asked for a new kind of ruler;
"Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other
nations have" (1 Samuel 8:5).  This request was
actually an indication of the sad decline of God's
people.  By requesting a king, "as all the other
nations," they were rejecting God's plan and choosing
to follow the ways of the world.

God was disappointed with the heart of His children;
but He granted their request and told Samuel to anoint
Saul as Israel's first king.  Saul was "an impressive
young man without equal among the Israelites - a head
taller than any of the others" (1 Samuel 9:2).  Saul's
external appearance was a perfect match for the
superficial values of the nation.

When Samuel spoke with Saul, he was quite surprised to
hear he had been chosen by God: "But am I not a
Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is
not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of
Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?" (1
Samuel 9:21).  Saul's insecurities were so great that
when it came time to officially anoint him as king, he
was nowhere to be found.

"So they inquired further of the Lord, 'Has the man
come here yet?' And the Lord said, 'Yes, he has hidden
himself among the baggage.'"  1 Samuel 10:22

Although Saul made many mistakes as king, we must not
forget he was specifically chosen by God and empowered
to do His will.  But Saul lived with a great sense of
inadequacy and was never able to effectively lead.  He
continually stepped out of God's will because his
focus was on his own limitations rather than on the
limitless ability of the One who called him to serve.

Each of us who enter into a relationship with Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior are also chosen to do His
will - empowered by His Spirit to accomplish
everything He desires for our life; "His divine power
has given us everything we need" (2 Peter 1:3).
Unfortunately, most of us enter this relationship
carrying bags from our past which weigh us down and
hinder our ability to serve.

What baggage are we still carrying or using to hide
from God's call? There may be sins and failures in our
distant (or even very recent) past which make us feel
unworthy to serve.  We may still carry the pain and
mistrust of a broken relationship.  We may have even
made a sincere attempt to serve but taken a few wrong
steps and fallen flat.  But NOTHING must keep us from
doing His will.  Nothing must keep us from following
where we know He is leading.  Let's trust Him with all
our heart and answer the call today.  Let's keep our
eyes on Christ and stop hiding among the baggage.

Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel, God's Daily Word Ministries


A couple of things that this devotional made me think
about:
I was just comparing Saul to David.  Saul looked like
a king.  When God sent Samuel to Jesse to find the man
who would be king after Saul, Jesse showed Samuel all
7 sons, but not David.  When Samuel asked if there
were any other, Jesse responded, "There is still the
youngest but he is tending the sheep."  David was even
not considered by his father.  And he didn't
necessarily look like a king, as Saul did.

When Jesus came, the Jews were expecting the Messiah
to be a warrior, not a humble man who wasn't robust,
or even handsome.  And He was dismissed by most as
just a man, not the Chosen One who would free the
world from sin.

Have you dismissed your calling because you don't feel
you fit the part?  We have so many examples in
Scripture of people who did just that: Mosses,
Jeremiah, Jonah............and the list goes on.  If
God has called you to do something specific, there
really is no other road you can follow.  Satan would
love to convince us that we're not enough for God's
call: well-spoken enough/ smart enough/ strong enough/
thin enough/ good enough - and his tactics often work.
  But God will give us the strength, the words, the
ability to do His will IF we ask for His help.

So my prayer for you today is that You ask God for the
strength to overcome the obstacles that keep you from
being all He wants you to be and from doing all that
He requires of you.  I pray for your protection as you
step out in faith, asking God to use you.

:) BK

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Hello, Friends!  I pray that all is well with you.
And welcome to our new members.  We're up to 20 people
now; praise the Lord!

I hope you guys are blessed by this devotional:

STRONGHOLDS OF THE MIND

We are taking every thought captive to the obedience
of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

The nature of the battle for your mind is clearly
presented in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "For though we walk
in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,
but divinely powerful for the destruction of
fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every
lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of
God, and we are taking every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ."

The first thing you need to know about the battle for
your mind is that it is not fought on the plane of
human ingenuity or ability. You can't outsmart or
outmuscle the flesh or the devil on your own. Your
weapons must be "divinely powerful" if you are going
to win a spiritual conflict.

The main targets which must be destroyed are the
"fortresses" in the mind. The King James Version uses
the word strongholds . Strongholds are
negative patterns of thought which are burned into our
minds either through repetition over time or through
one-time traumatic experiences.

Thoughts determine behavior, and thought patterns
determine temperaments. Strongholds are revealed in
un-Christlike temperaments and behavior patterns. A
mind-set impregnated with hopelessness causes us to
accept
as unchangeable something known to be contrary to God.


How are these destructive strongholds established in
our minds? Usually they are the result of a number of
subtle steps which lead us away from God's plan for us
and mire us in Plan B behavior. We will look at these
steps and how we should respond to them over the next
several days.

Prayer:
Lord, I determine to prepare my mind for action today
and avoid passivity in my thinking, because Satan
loves passivity.

HOW YOU ARE PROGRAMMED

References:-->Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through
philosophy and empty deception, according to the
tradition of men . . . rather than according to Christ


The first step toward the formation of strongholds in
our minds can be called "environmental stimulation."
You were designed to live in fellowship with God and
fulfill His purposes, but you were born physically
alive and spiritually dead in a hostile world
(Ephesians 2:1, 2). Before you came to Christ, all
your stimulation came from this environment.  Every
day you lived in this environment you were influenced
by it and preconditioned to conform to it.

The worldly stimulation you were exposed to was both
brief and prevailing. Brief stimulation includes
individual events, situations, places and personal
encounters you experienced. You were influenced by
books you read, movies you watched, music you listened
to, and traumatic events you experienced or witnessed,
such as a car accident or a death in the family. You
learned a way (which may or may not have been God's
way) to cope with these experiences and resolve the
conflicts they produced.

Prevailing stimulation consists of long-term exposure
to your environment, such as the influence of your
family, your friends and peers, your neighborhood,
your teachers, and your job. If you grew up separated
from God, and were raised in a non-Christian
environment, you developed a philosophy of how to
survive, cope and succeed in this world apart from
God.

When you became a Christian your sins were washed
away, but your predisposition to think and behave a
certain way, which you developed as you adjusted to
your environment, remained programmed in your mind. In
fact, you can become a born-again believer and
continue to live on the basis of the lifestyle you
developed while living independently of God.  That is
why Paul insists that we be transformed by the
renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

Prayer:
I know I was saved in a moment, Lord. But my character
still needs daily transformation. Help me be as
patient with others in their transformation as You are
with me.

=====
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love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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)I didn't write this, but I was unable to find the
source.)

Today there are just too many things to do. My natural
response is to fret and fear. Both are forbidden: Fret
not. Fear not. That tells me what not to do. What,
then, should I do?

"I will run the course set out in thy commandments,
for they gladden my heart'' (Ps 119:32 NEB).

There will be both time and strength today to run that
course, for it is always possible to do the will of
God. The course He sets for us in his commandments is
not an obstacle course, but one carefully planned to
suit our qualifications--that is, not too rigorous for
our limitations, not too lenient for our strengths.

The plan of God for me, for this one day, is meant not
to trouble but to gladden my heart. Christ's yoke,
according to his own promise, is not hard but easy--if
we bear it together with Him and if we bear it as
Christ bore it, in meekness and lowliness of heart.

"We must run with resolution the race for which we are
entered, our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom faith
depends from start to finish" (Heb 12:2 NEB).

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Lent begins tomorrow (known as Ash Wednesday) and ends
on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter.  Since I
became a Christian, I've taken the period of Lent as
an opportunity to give something up.  A couple years
ago it was sweets, sometimes caffeine.  why do I do
this?  That's a good question.  So I did a little
research to find out where this tradition came from.

Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It
is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent
originated in the very earliest days of the Church as
a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful
rededicated themselves and when converts were
instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By
observing the forty days of Lent, the individual
Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the
wilderness for forty days.
http://www.kencollins.com/holy-04.htm

Lent owes much of its spirit to the forty days Jesus
spent in the desert preparing for his ministry. We say
he was tempted there, but a more accurate translation
may be "tested." The Jewish view of the desert was an
abode of demons, especially that part of the desert
where winds would howl around tall, rough stone. It
must have been terrifying at night: dark, looming
shapes, unearthly wailing of wind, and nothing else.
In this place, Jesus was offered the opportunity to be
the wrong kind of messiah. He rejected each
possibility.  http://www.rushman.org/lent1.html

<i>Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow me." Luke 9:23</i>
I think as believers, we need to recognize that
self-denial is what Jesus called us to do every day.
At the same time, we can use this season to make a
declaration to God, saying, "God, I'm doing this for
You.  My 'self' wants to have this item (whatever you
give up), but I give it up for You."   This year, I'm
giving up coffee (both regular and decaf), and
television of any type, including movies at home or at
the theater.  I think we can learn so much about
ourselves, and how different things (even TV or food!)
can have a stronghold in our lives.  And we even learn
more about the nature of Christ, and His sacrifice,
not only during His 40 days in the desert, but on the
cross.

Does anyone want to join me in making a sacrifice for
Jesus?  We can hold each other accountable here.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers.  The
talk went well.  Really well, maybe.  I was pretty
nervous at the beginning, and I was trying really hard
not to read directly off the page.  For the first time
since i started giving this talk, I was able to read
my story without, word for word, saying what I had
written ahead of time.  People asked questions and
stuck around to talk after to talk to me and to each
other.  There were even three males there, though one
was a staff member and one was my husband.

Anyway, overall, it was good.  Thought you might want
an update :)

Love & Prayers,
Brenna Kate

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Hello, Everyone!

I have a prayer request. This week is Eating Disorder
Awareness Week in the U.S., and on Wednesday
(tomorrow) at 9 PM, I will be giving a presentation
combining my personal experiences with statistical
information, as well as what one can do to help
someone in his or her struggle.  I also have put up a
display in the lobby of the building where I work with
more information.

Please pray for me. I gave this talk 3 years ago as a
student and have given it at another school since.
This time feels different because I now work here. So
I'm feeling especially vulnerable.

And pray that lives are changed, and people are
challenged. Jesus is definitely the foundation of my
recovery, and I want to glorify Him in my
presentation.

Thanks, and God bless you all,
Brenna Kate

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Hello, and welcome to our 2 new mebers!  We're so
happy that you're here :)

A message from MaRisa (freeofbulimia.com)

I heard that old song on the radio the other day and
the lyrics rather haunted me.  In this month of hearts
and flowers, I know that there are many who did not
celebrate the fun part of Valentine’s Day, but instead
had to deal with all the things that old song speaks
of:  broken dreams, disillusion and confusion, not
necessarily in the area of romance.

A broken heart is a wound to the soul, inflicted
through loss, betrayal, misunderstandings, fear of the
unknown.  Circumstances at home, work, or in your
community can so deeply affect you that you literally
feel a pain in your chest and wonder how you will bear
it.  Sometimes we grieve for another’s sorrow or pain
and make it our own.

I’ll tell you what becomes of too many broken hearted
people.  They hurt.  They run, they try to cover their
wounds with false bravado or phony optimism.  They
numb their pain with busy work, drugs, drink,
entertainment - whatever works for a while.   But
those things are temporary band-aids for a wound that
needs deep cleansing and healing.

I’ll tell you what becomes of the broken hearted when
they allow God’s Holy Spirit to reach into their
hearts.  Psalm 147:3:  “He heals the broken hearted
and binds up their wounds.”

Does this happen in a second?  Do the pain and the
problems disappear at the utterance of a prayer?  Not
usually.  Notice that the Scripture promises healing
and binding.  The binding process of a heart breaking
wound is like caring for a physical trauma.
Recognizing the nature of the wound, understanding
what caused the damage, then cleansing the wound and
ridding it of infection are crucial to the process.

When we come to the Lord for comfort and healing, we
can be sure that He will do a similar work in our
hearts.  No quick band-aids and temporary pain relief.
  Rather, a deep, life-changing work of the Holy Spirit
will drive us closer to God, our Great Physician.  He
will take us to the foot of the Cross, where His blood
was poured out for the very sins that inflict such
pain and heartache upon the world.  He will expose
this wound for what it is, root out its causes and
cleanse us from the infection of bitterness and sin.

In the midst of it all, God sends His Comforter, the
Holy Spirit. Remember how your mom used to hold your
hand or kiss your “ouwies” while she medicated and
cleaned your scraped knees and elbows?  That’s what
the Comforter does.  The Spirit holds our hands and
lets us know we are loved as we go through this
process, reminding us that “all things work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)!

And then blessed relief!   His promises are true.  He
will bind and heal our wounds.  And from the depths of
our tender and healing heart, He can now begin to
manifest the attributes of His Spirit:  love, joy,
peace, patience and all the gifts God wants us to
have.  All the reasons He allows such trials into our
lives.

St. Augustine once wrote, “Let God cover your wounds,
do not do it yourself.  For if you wish to cover them,
because you are ashamed, the Physician will not come.
Let Him cover; for by the covering of the Physician
the wound is healed; by covering the wound yourself,
the wound is merely concealed.  And from whom?  From
Him who knows all things.”

What becomes of the broken hearted?   In God’s
kingdom, only good things.

May those of you whose hearts are burdened and broken
find peace and comfort in God’s Word, and may you
experience His loving touch.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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How can I overcome a bad habit?

A bad habit is usually connected to wrong beliefs and
attitudes. We should not want to change a habit only
because it is embarrassing, expensive, unhealthy, or
makes us feel guilty--rather we should want God's
greater purpose for our life to be fulfilled. Until we
deal with the underlying wrong beliefs that weaken our
resistance to the bad habit, we will have only limited
success in overcoming it.

The Christian must see that bad habits are ultimately
spiritual issues. We must not hesitate to call them
sins. And we need to realize that the means of
sanctification described in Scripture (chiefly the
Word of God and prayer) are essential for overcoming
such habits.

We are responsible for our own sin--including those
sins "which so easily beset us." The fact that we do
something wrong habitually does not relieve us of
responsibility. On the contrary, it may make the
sin all the worse. So we must take personal
responsibility for our own habits and not shrink from
calling them sin.

    (((PRAISE GOD FOR GIVING US A WAY OUT!!!)))))

Sinful habits are not insurmountable problems for the
Christian. After all, the Holy Spirit indwells us and
is working to conform us to the image of Christ. And
if God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Furthermore, Galatians 5:16 says that if we "walk by
the Spirit, [we] will not carry out the desire of the
flesh." And 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a promise that God
will not permit us to be tempted beyond our ability.
If we make use of the resources provided by God
through His Spirit and His Word, we can attack any
habit knowing that we can win.

Let me make some practical suggestions for overcoming
bad habits that I think you will find helpful.

First of all, remember that sin begins in the mind.
James 1:14-15 compares a person falling into sin to a
fish or animal that is caught with bait. It sees the
bait, desires it, and is trapped in the process of
grabbing it. Likewise, sins that ensnare us begin in
the mind. The person who steals first thinks about the
thing he wants. He then thinks of a plan for getting
it. After he has schemed in his mind, he takes it. He
could have stopped the sin in his mind before it
became completed in his action. That's why Scripture
commands us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2), to think
about good things (Philippians 4:8), and to meditate
on the Word (Psalm 1:2).

Defeating a habit also requires changes in lifestyle.
We are to make no provision for the flesh (Romans
13:14). The person who wants to stop smoking should
throw away all his cigarettes and not buy any more;
the person struggling with sexual sin should get rid
of any suggestive materials in his possession. Avoid
the company of those who have the same problem (1
Corinthians 15:33), and avoid the places and
circumstances which tempt you.

Finally, don't try to battle a bad habit alone.
Develop relationships with more mature Christians who
will encourage and support you (Galatians 6:2). Spend
time in prayer with them. Ask them to "check up on
you" regularly, and be honest about your failures
(James 5:16).

Biblical change is not just turning away from sin; it
is turning toward righteousness. The person who lies
must speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25). One who steals
must not only stop stealing, he must work and give to
others (verse 28); and one whose language is
unwholesome must learn to edify others (verse 29). Do
not just stop sinning--start doing what is right. The
good habits you build will replace the sinful ones.

For further study:
Erwin Lutzer, How to Say No to a Stubborn Habit
(Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1978).

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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We can all make up our own lists for all of God's
promises..and affirmations!

I am God's creation, even when I don't deserve it, He
Loves Me as I am. Romans 8

I can express myself and God gives me wisdom.
Sometimes I have to swear to my own hurt. Psalm 15:4

Sometimes when I'm angry I have to watch out. Eph.4:26

There is no such thing as the world's version of
perfect.  With God I can be perfect. Matthew 5:48

My body is a temple for the living God to dwell
inside. 2 Cor.6:16

I have the ability to make mistakes and to ask for
God's forgiveness and help. Ps.19:12

My approval comes best when it's from God. 2Tim 2:15

Let my yes be yes and my no, no. James 5:12

I love myself unconditionally the way I am yet I
strive to be more like christ. Luke 13:24

Every day I am growing in Jesus and becoming more like
Him. Eph 4:24

My past may have shame, yet my hope is in Christ Jesus
for the past, present and future. Romans 3:25

I am not always the best judge for myself - Jesus will
give me discernment. Heb.5:14

I value all of life, my body, people, my family - God
is ordering my steps. Prov.16:9

God created me with purpose and a plan for my life.
Deut 32:10

If I weren't around tomorrow those around me would be
affected. 2Cor.8:10

I will act like a saint, a princess because my Father
is a King. Rev.15:3

I can do all things thru Christ Jesus who strengthens
me. Phil 4:13

I will keep a positive attitude outlook on life by
rejoicing in all things. 1 Peter 1:7-10

The possiblities and opportunities I have with God are
endless. Galatians 6:10

I am free from guilt even though I'm sometimes guilty.
Romans 8:1

My rights are recognized by the Lord when He calls me
righteous. Ps.34:17

I am beautiful...end of story!

Love you guys!
Brenna Kate

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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Sorry - I sent the first one with no subject line.
With all the junk mail flying around, I didn't want
you to delete it by mistake.  So here it is again:

Hello, friends! I'm back from California and Maine.
My husband and I had a great time.

We have a new "gettingfed" member. Everyone say hello
to "chemhatch"!

Here's a thought for you today. I hope it encourages
you. Please read it with an open mind. I was just
talking about this with a friend the other day. Even
if you don'tterminology the termonology, focus on the
principles.

Lotsa love,
Brenna Kate

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
> from Freedom in Christ Ministries

Temptation's Hook

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew
5:6).

Food is the ultimate appetite, since it is necessary
for survival. So we eat to live, but when we begin to
live to eat, food no longer satisfies. Instead, it
consumes us, and millions of people feel powerless to
control their appetite for food. When your body is
deprived of necessary nutrients, you naturally crave
those foods which will keep you healthy and keep your
immune system functioning. If you eat to satisfy those
natural cravings, you will stay healthy and free. But
when you turn to food to relieve anxiety or satisfy a
lust for sweets, salt, etc., you will lose control and
the results will negatively affect your health.

It is no coincidence that the apostle Paul mentioned
misuse of food in conjunction with his sober warning
that "in later times some will fall away from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and
doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1). One of the
evidences of the last days will be those who "advocate
abstaining from foods" (verse 3) which are intended to
meet a legitimate need. Every eating disorder I have
dealt with had a spiritual component, yet virtually no
counselors treating anorexia and bulimia expose the
spiritual problem. A pastor's wife wrote to me after a
conference:

Dear Neil,

I was bulimic for 11 years. But now I can be in the
house alone all day with a kitchen full of food and be
in peace. When a temptation or lie from Satan pops
into my mind, I fend it off quickly with the truth. I
used to be in bondage to those lies for hours and
hours each day, always fearing food. Now I'm rejoicing
in the freedom which the truth brings.

Temptation's hook is the devil's guarantee that what
we think we want and need outside of God's will can
satisfy us. Don't believe it. You can never satisfy
the desires of the flesh. Only sustaining right
relationships, living by the power of the Holy Spirit,
and experiencing the fruit of the Spirit will satisfy
you.

Father God, protect me from giving in to the world,
the flesh, and the devil. Keep me abiding in You so I
can bear the fruit of righteousness.

----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.ficm.org >.



=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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8 days until the wedding, and counting!

So, please pray for me and Roy. That God would
prepare us for the wedding and the marriage. Also,
pray for my back. I threw out my back the day before
Thanksgiving, and it hasn't healed yet. I'm at the
point where I'm in a moderate amount of pain all of
the time, and I've been like this since Tuesday. I've
even been wearing sneakers to work since my body can't
handle heels.

So, pray! God has 8 days to heal me :)

Lots of love,
Brenna Kate

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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As you may or may not know, I'm getting married in 11
days.  Praise God!  So I will be gone for some time.
Please pray for me and my husband-to-be if you have a
free minute.

From merriam-webster.com:
Ac·cep·tance
Function: noun
Date: 1574
1 : an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the
act or offer of another so that a contract is
concluded and the parties become legally bound
2 : the quality or state of being accepted or
acceptable
3 : the act of accepting : the fact of being accepted
: APPROVAL
4 a : the act of accepting a time draft or bill of
exchange for payment when due according to the
specified terms b : an accepted draft or bill of
exchange
5 : ACCEPTATION 2

Lately in my life, I have been "Practicing
Acceptance", and I think everyone should try it!
Living as if today is all I have, I accept myself at
this weight, at this time, in this job, in this body,
with these skills.  I no longer am waiting to have the
perfect life, the perfect body, or thinking thoughts
such as, "My life would be great if I could just lose
10 pounds."  Those thoughts are unhelpful; they are
actually detrimental to our recovery.

I am acceptable.  God created me, and He doesn't mess
up!  Though there are definitely areas where I could
use some growth, that doesn't make me as a whole
"unacceptable".

And through this acceptance, slowly but surely, I have
more joy in my life. I don't like my job, but I come
to work and try, praying for better days.  I may not
have the perfect body, but it works!  I may not want
to live in Boston, but I have a roof over my head.

So I leave you with this, from the apostle Paul's
letter to the Philippians:
"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have
renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been
concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am
not saying this because I am in need, for I have
learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is
to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether well fed
or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can
do everything through him who gives me strength. "

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

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I know I haven't written in a while, so I wanted to
introduce myself a little to those who don't know me.

Not that I really know where to begin :) Maybe I'll
just take some excerpts from my web site. It’s kind
of long, but I hope you can identify and find strength
in my trials and triumphs.

I went on my first diet at 14 in 1989 with a friend
who suggested I do Weight Watchers with her. My
family didn't put any kind of an emphasis on body
size, so I hadn’t thought about my weight up to this
point. The time in my life, however, was key. My
father had just moved out of the house, and my mother
had just been released from a rehabilitation center,
where she was treated for alcoholism. It was typical
for me to feel little or no emotions when the world
around me was falling apart, and this time wasn't any
different.
I don't have many memories of what it was like having
an eating disorder in high school except that I passed
out a lot, and no one helped me. That may sound very
dramatic, but it is, unfortunately, the truth. I was
living at home, alone, with my father, and he would
purposely ignore what was going on. One time, he
actually stepped over me when I was passed out in the
kitchen, so he could get to his bedroom.

By the time I graduated from high school, I was thin
and very sick, and I decided to start eating again.
This became a cycle for me. I would become very
physically ill, and decide I should eat again. I’d
gain weight, freak out, and stop eating until I passed
out. And then I’d eat again. It was usually easy for
me to make the decision to eat. There was some shred
of sanity in me that wanted to survive, that figured
there must be a reason for me to be here, and that I
shouldn’t give up yet. But I still couldn’t find
enough reasons to stop the cycle. This cycle
continued through 2 years of college, 2 years of
medical leave, and the summer leading up to
transferring to a prestigious music school in Boston.
I ended up at New England Conservatory of Music in the
fall of 1997, many pounds below what was considered to
be my “healthy weight”.

I didn’t receive much help or confirmation from the
medical profession. Upon losing 40 lbs., I went to
the doctor who didn't believe me when I said I was
anorexic. “Seems dubious”, my chart read. That
doesn't surprise me; it just makes me really sad. No
one ever believed me. There I was standing in front
of the doctor at my lowest weight ever, and he didn't
believe me. I was thin, but not skeletal. Didn't
throw up, or take laxatives. Just didn't eat. Over
the course of my eating disorder, I would see 4
different therapists who were specialists in eating
disorders. I saw many doctors, dieticians,
nutritionists, nutrition therapists – the list goes on
and on. I tried group therapy, Overeaters Anonymous,
religion, “self-help”. I think I’ve owned 95% of the
books ever written on eating disorders. I did it all.
And it didn’t work. This became increasingly evident
when things culminated in the fall of 1998.
By this time, I was addicted to laxatives, up to 30 a
day. Sometimes I ate. My hair was falling out in
clumps. I think that's what really upset me; I had
waist-length hair at the time. My hair was visibly
thinner, and I was going bald. And I started getting
these cramps in my legs like no pain I had ever
experienced in my whole life. I found out later that
was from the laxatives. And I still I wasn’t ready to
end this journey. I did gain some weight, and my
friends no longer tried to get me hospitalized. But I
was sicker than ever. I just didn't let anyone know.
I was in L.A. at the end of December when things
begin to really change. I was enjoying the L.A.
"scene" because it fit into my vanity at the time. I
figured, "If I'm thin, I might as well flaunt it." I
wore the right clothes, makeup and nails done
perfectly - the works. I was walking down the street,
and I said to myself, "I could live the rest of my
life like this." Five minutes later, I was doubled
over in pain in the middle of a busy L.A. street
because the laxatives were eating away at my insides.
This happened to me all the time, but for some reason,
the absurdity of my thoughts just minutes before
really hit me. That's when I knew something was
seriously wrong. Not only would I not be alive for
long if I continued with my behavior, I had convinced
myself that what I was doing was OK. I was in trouble.
I decided I needed to do something. I would pray
before every meal. Pray that I could get through the
meal without freaking out, that I wouldn't immediately
take a handful of laxatives, that I would want to
recover. I decided I needed God's help, that I
couldn't do this by my own strength, that I had tried
- and it didn't work.
I had often wondered, during that ten years of
struggling, what I was really hungry for, what I was
trying to numb by starving. There was some hunger
within me that I could not satisfy WITH ANYTHING, no
matter how hard I tried. And I finally realized that
this hunger was for God. I was hungry for a love that
I couldn't find on this earth. I was hungry for a
relationship with Jesus.
I was raised going to a church that was more of a
community than a place to learn about God and Jesus.
When my parents divorced, my dad didn’t make me go to
church anymore. So I didn’t go. I said that I tried
religion as part of my recovery. Religion and
relationship are two different things. Religion
summons images of an angry god who punishes his
children for doing “bad” things, and rewards them for
doing “good” things. Relationship is completely
different. I figured out why I thought God had failed
me in the past. It wasn’t God who failed me; it was
my idea of God that completely fell short of who God
actually is. I couldn’t imagine that there was really
a God out there who loved ME, Brenna Kate Burrington,
that I could be worthy of love at all.
This is not to say that everyone needs to go through
a major spiritual experience in order to recover.
They don't. But I did. People recover all the time
without God, but not me. I had tried, and it didn't
work. It wasn't until I asked Jesus for healing that
I was healed. This is not to say that it isn't still
a struggle. I still have hard days, hard weeks. It's
just different. I am no longer alone.

A version of this testimony has been included in a
non-Christian anthology called "The Alternative Scares
Me: Expressions of Mental Illness" and a CD-ROM called
"Confident of This: Christian Testimony of Life and
Art". I'm also a Resource Person for ANAD, the
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders. And I’m really blessed to be the
moderator of this community :)

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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I would like to share the following with all of you:

"My plan for your future has always been filled with
hope."

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

We live in a world that sometimes seems void of hope.
Wars, famine, pollution, recessions, etc. can cause us
to become easily discouraged when we look at the
prospects of our future. Discouragement can lead
to depression, and depression can lead to
hopelessness.

When we are feeling hopeless, we see our circumstances
and surroundings through a filtered lens that can
cause us to continue to spiral downwards in our
emotions and our attitudes. In this week's devotional
scripture, God says that He has a plan for you, a plan

that will prosper you and not to harm you, a plan that
will give you hope and a future.

While the economy may be saying one thing to us, God
is saying another. While your circumstances may cry
out hopelessness, God is saying that He has a plan to
prosper and not to harm you. While we don't know what
the future does hold, we know who holds the future.
We can trust in the goodness of God to care for us in
the midst of situations that seem hopeless.

Our hope is not in our circumstances, but in God our
Father. That does not necessarily mean that life will
always turn out the way we expected, but it does mean
that we can always trust in our Father to love us and
watch over us. If we commit our lives into His care,
we are guaranteed from an everlasting perspective,
that we will have an incredible future filled with
hope awaiting us, that will last forever.

PRAYER
Father, I thank You that You have a plan for me that
is filled with hope and a future. I know that You have
plans to prosper me and not to harm me. I need not
fear and I need not despair for you are in control of
my life. Help me to commit my life to You, trusting in

Your faithfulness to accomplish all that You have
promised to do. In the name of Your beloved Son,
Jesus, I pray. AMEN.

http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Devotionals/devotion22.html

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
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Hello, ladies!  I'[m back, and in full swing!

Every man has a right to be valued by his best moment.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do I value myself and others for our best qualities
and actions - for those times when we are blessed wtih
grace, when we rise to heights of courage and
selflessness far beyond our expectations? Or does one
bad mistake cancel out those moments? Our character
assests have been with us always, though all too often
obscured by the fears and insecurities of living with
obsession.

Freedom from disordered eating allows me to be the
person I want to be more of the time. The longer I
live in this way, the more numerous my "best moments"
become.

For Today: I remind myself of my many good qualitiies
and best moments - and those of my family, friends and colleagues.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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If you're new to this group, I'd like to know more
about you.  Feel free to e-mail me, and tell me more
about yourself and why you're here.

God bless,
BK

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12


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Hello, friends.  I just returned from much traveling,
and now I'm back for 2 weeks before I leave again!

As people with disordered eating, we find help in many
places.  I have found strength and support from the
12-step group, Overeaters Anonymous (OA).  Though
overeating has never been my main struggle, the
manifestation of my eating disorder often roots from
the same place as overeaters.  So today, I'll be
quoting a piece of OA literature.

God bless you all, and be well!

A quote from the Overeaters Anonymopus "For Today"
Book:

"The most exhausting thing in life is being
insincere." Anne Morrow Lindberg

A young woman who had binged and vomited for thirteen
years before finding OA considers herself well
qualified to speak on people-pleasing. Here's what she
told her group:
"I seemed to think I had to go through life with a
smile pasted on my face. I was sweet and accommodating
and polite. A good egg. Of course, none of it was
sincere. How could it be when inside, I was angry and
resentful and afraid? My false front was so exhausting
I had to make it up to myself somehow, and the one
sure way to do that was to eat.

"The same exhaustion overtakes me today whenever I try
so hard to make a good impression that I am not being
myself. But it's all right to make mistakes. I am not
perfect. I'm making progress and I'm very grateful for
the chance to do it."

For today: Doing or saying something I don't mean
costs me more in the long run than I'm willing to pay.
I am as honest as I can be without either being rude
or fawning over anyone.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12


www.brennakate.com
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Life can be so hard.  We who struggle with food issues
know that oh too well.  The twists and turns of
everyday life can really throw us off sometimes.  It's
so easy to lose hope - to just want to give up.

"And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God."

There is something inside us that won't let us give
up.  There is a part of us, sometimes very small, that
knows there must be more to life than what we can see,
even when all of life seems so full of darkness.

Imagine being in a pitch black room.  If even one thin
ray of light seeps in, it changes everything.  Your
eyes are instantly drawn to.  Hope is that light.

"Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for
what he already has?"

You may not be able to see that hope today, but trust
me, and trust God, because it's there.  And we know
this deep down in our souls.

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see right
now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet
seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but
the joys to come will last forever."

May God bless you richly today,
Brenna Kate

**All quotes are from the apostle Paul.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12


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www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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I've been a traveling woman lately, and will continue
to be, but will try to keep up with my messages.  I
hope in the meantime you are disputing your negative
thoughts and filling your head with positive ones.

I'm going to continue on the same thread that I was on
before.  Many of us try to recover for all the wrong
reasons.  Some are that our family wants us to, we
don't want to disappoint our therapists, we are tried
of people telling us to eat or not to eat, etc.
Rarely do you hear that someone does it for themselves
- but those are usually the ones we hear amazing
recovery stories from.

You need to decide that you are worth it, that life is
worth living, that there is a plan bigger than death
by the slow suicide of an eating disorder.  Those may
sound like harsh words, but that's what an eating
disorder is.  It's not about control; an eating
disorder epitomizes the loss of control.

Still, with this knowledge, many of us fail at our
attempts at recovery because it seems impossible for
us to reverse the negative voices coming from all
those people who, whether by their actions or words,
have communicated to us over the years that you are
worthless.  Well, God has a different view of us.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of
them will fall to the ground apart from the will of
your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more
than many sparrows."  Matthew 10:29-31

"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my
mother's womb.  I will give thanks to You, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your
works, and my soul knows it very well." Psalm
139:13-14

It's very hard for us to see our value to God because
all we see is how worthy God is and how unworthy we
are.  But God created us; that means you, too.  We
judge ourselves by much harsher standards than we do
anyone else; we also treat ourselves much worse than
we would ever dream of treating someone else.

You deserve recovery!  Those may sound like empty
words, but they are truth.  God loves you so much.
Ask Him; He'll show you.

Sending love and prayers, Brenna Kate

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12


www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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I just wanted to let you know that the group moderator
will be out of town for a week and a half.  I'll miss
you guys.

While I'm gone, think of ways we can get others
involved in this group.  Do you know anyone who could
potentially benefit from some encouragement?  It's a
blind list, so they won't get spammed.

Message for the Day
Do you know today that God loves you and thinks you
are beautiful?  That He values you very highly?

As people who struggle with food issues, we tend not
to value ourselves very highly.  We frequently have
thoughts that we are fat, ugly - even worthless.  And
we often just accept these thoughts instead of
challenging them.  We even put our lives on hold,
waiting for things to be "better".  We say things to
ourselves such as, "Oh, I'll do that when I'm thin"
because we are so insecure about our weight that we
think we can't do certain things, or that we don't
deserve to.

The path to acceptance of yourselves where we are
today begins with challenging the negative thoughts
that plague us.  I've come to challenge every negative
thought that goes through my mind, and put it through
my "God filter".  What I mean by that is that based on
what I believe about God, is this really true?

God created us beautifully.  That means that YOU ARE
BEAUTIFUL.  Yes, even you!  He created you - knit you
together.  He didn't make any mistakes.  Someone once
gave me this analogy about God creating us.  It's as
if He painted a picture.  He thought about how to form
you, what colors to use - He planned it all out long
in advance and with much love.  When you say part of
you isn't good enough or needs to be changed, you are
painting on God's picture, which is already perfect
and doesn't need to be changed.  Imagine someone
putting a big streak of red paint on your favorite
painting!

Excerpts from Psalm 139
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and
knit me together in my mother's womb.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter
seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the
womb.

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was
recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my
every thought when far away.

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to
stop and rest.  Every moment you know where I am.

You know what I am going to say even before I say it,
LORD.

You both precede and follow me.  You place your hand
of blessing on my head.


In order to begin on this path of acceptance, you have
to be unwilling to play the "Change Your Body, Change
You Life" game.  You have to come to a place where you
are so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired that
you will try anything to feel better.  My prayer for
you is that you reach that rock bottom point if you
haven't already.  That may sound like a strange thing
to pray, but once you're at the bottom, You look up,
see God smiling at you, and you can only go up from
there :)

God bless you!!!!! Brenna Kate

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12


www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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Sometimes, especially during the long times of
darkness in our lives where it seems as though we're
not recovering or making any sort of progress, we can
feel so alone.  We could be surrounded by people who
bombard us with their love, but we still feel
completely and hopelessly alone.

It's during those times that I try to remember why I
hold on.  It's in the darkness when I grasp that last
string of hope - God is always there.

The Bible says, "Nothing can ever separate us from
God's love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels
can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our
worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell
can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above
the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all
creation will ever be able to separate us from the
love of God."  That pretty much covers all the bases -
absolutely nothing can make God stop loving us.  No
matter where we go, or what we do, no matter how
worthless we think we are, or how much we hurt - it
doesn't make God stop loving us or stop knowing we are
worth something. Fortunately, God's love isn't based
on our feelings or our actions.  Whether we feel it or
believe it, He loves us.

Some of us base what we think about God, our Heavenly
Father, by our earthly parents.  That's why we think
if we do something "wrong" or "misbehave", He turns
His back on us, and stop caring for and protecting us.
  This just isn't true.  God's bond of love for us is
so  incredibly strong that absolutely nothing will or
can change it.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.

So I send you a prayer - excerpts from a letter that
the apostle Paul wrote letter to the people in Ephesus
almost 2000 years ago:
"When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I
fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator
of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that
from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give
you mighty inner strength....May your roots go down
deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may
you have the power to understand, as all God's people
should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his
love really is....Then you will be filled with the
fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Now
glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within
us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we
would ever dare to ask or hope."

May God bless you abundantly today,
Brenna Kate

=====
I know this is a strange choice for an e-mail address, but what I mean is
Getting Fed, in the spiritual sense.  Most of us know by now that eating
disorders aren't really about food.  We all need other types of nourishment. 
Jesus said, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about", "my food is to do
the will of him who sent me and to finish his work", and "do not work for food
that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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I'm so glad you're here.  This group has just begun.
Whether you have disordered eating or a full-blown
eating disorders, I hope and pray that this group
brings encouragement to your life and hope in your
struggles.

I will be sending at least a weekly e-mail, hopefully
on Mondays, and possibly another during the week if I
get inspired.

May God bless you and keep you till I write again,
Brenna Kate............Getting Fed


=====
I know this is a strange choice for an e-mail address, but what I mean is
Getting Fed, in the spiritual sense.  Most of us know by now that eating
disorders aren't really about food.  We all need other types of nourishment. 
Jesus said, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about", "my food is to do
the will of him who sent me and to finish his work", and "do not work for food
that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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