Get a G.R.I.P ...When it all Falls Apart E-Book

Beverly Weeks

• Herausgeber: Dancing Lemur Press LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 161

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

I JUST CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!...

What do you do when all of hell breaks loose? I’m talking about mind boggling spiritual warfare, against you, your family, relationships, health; when life doesn’t seem fair and you feel like you are being attacked with what ifs, whys, fear, doubt, worry, gossip, negative thoughts, or even by negative people who act like they have been baptized in dill pickle juice!

Get A G.R.I.P. is not a how-to manual. It’s a helpful companion filled with words of encouragement, scriptures, hope and nugget devotionals.

Are you holding a handful of shattered dreams, standing at a crossroad wondering which road you should take, haunted by insecurities, or dreading a decision and a possible mistake? Stop agonizing. Fight back! The four powerful truths shared in this acrostic will encourage you and resonate with women everywhere.

Leseprobe

Beverly Weeks

FREEDOM FOX PRESS

Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Pikeville, North Carolina

http://dancinglemurpress.com/

Copyright 2016 by Beverly Weeks

Published by Freedom Fox Press

An imprint of:

Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C., P.O. Box 383, Pikeville, North Carolina, 27863-0383

http://dancinglemurpress.com/

ISBN: 9781939844187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system in any form – either mechanically, electronically, photocopy, recording, or other – except for short quotations in printed reviews, without the permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015959750

Dedication

I want to dedicate the pages within this book to you, my friend. You see I realize that I may never know your name, but God does. I pray for anointing upon each word as you flip through the pages. I pray that God will touch the raw, hurting, secret places of your heart, and bring healing, wisdom, and hope for every desperate situation.

We may never meet, but I want you to know that I love you and have prayed for you, even before you opened the front cover. Always remember on the days that you are feeling unheard, unseen, and insignificant- God sees, He knows, and He cares.

No matter how complicated things seem, how grim things may look, when you want to give up, when people talk about you, cast you out, or even ridicule you… You are a beloved child of a Sovereign God….a God who is BIGGER than anything you may face.

Love,

Beverly Weeks

Acknowledgements

To Rick, Tyler & Macy: Thank you for always believing in me, that has made all the difference… I love you so very, very much.

To Mom, Dad, Debbie, Michelle & Sharon: Can you believe it? I wrote a book with the words ain’t shain’t, & gonna. Goes to prove God doesn’t always call the qualified, but He will qualify the called!

To Scott & Sherry: Thank you for pushing me to be real, strive higher, pray harder & have fun.

To Jamie Cooper: Thank you for clearly catching the vision of my message.

To Bethany, Fifi, & Sheila: I could have never taken this journey without you.

To my friends at Wayne Pregnancy Care Center: Thank you for not kicking me out of the office when I asked you to join me on this journey. You have laughed with me, cried with me, and sometimes even shook your head in disbelief when I asked you to dream crazy BIG with me! I love you more than you will ever know. You all AMAZE me! I thank my God for each of you!

To Diane & the rest of the Freedom Fox Press publishing team: Thank you for your feedback, for processing every word & for your encouragement.

To my God: All the glory, honor and the praise belongs to you! Thank you for giving me the desires of my heart.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Part I - Get a G.R.I.P

Confession Time

G: Go to God in Prayer

R: Rally Your Support Team

I: Ignore Naysayers & Negative Thoughts

P: Prepare & Praise

Part II - Devotional Nuggets

Can God Forgive My Broken Past?

Breaking Free From Insecurities

We Prepared for This, and This, but not THAT!

Even Noah Looked Foolish!

Facing an Unexpected Storm

The "I Want It Now!" Syndrome

Forgiving Harsh Words

God, Help Me I'm Scared!

God, Are You Even Listening?

He Walked Out, Insecurities Walked In

How to Change Your Spouse

I Just Can’t Take it Anymore!

I Was That Prodigal Wife

L.E.T. G.O. of Bad Habits

The Blessing in Lila Mae's Story

Marriage: God Still Resurrects the Dead

People Pleasing Syndrome

Plastic Christians Fall

Tired? I'm Plumb Wore Out!

PORN: A Destructive Four Letter Word

What to do When Your Marriage is Falling Apart

Shattered Dreams

She Ain't Right, Bless Her Heart!

SHO NUFF, I’ve Done Flunked Motherhood

Trusting GOD with Broken Finances

When the Grass Looks Greener on the Other Side

The Comparison Pit: Who Had I Become?

You Are Ugly: A Lie From Hell!

Part III Power Tools: God’s Word for the Battle

Foreword

Father, my heart is heavy. I have friends reading this who are facing situations that just look grim. I sense that many of them are physically and mentally exhausted by their circumstance. Father God, I ask that you will give them DIVINE WISDOM in how to handle their finances, relationships, marriages, struggles with jobs, attacks of gossip, or any unknown certainties with their health. Lord, I ask that you will refresh their minds, command the depression to scatter, and give them a new HOPE!

In the name of Jesus, I command every evil conspiracy that has been planned by the enemy to be destroyed and roasted by the fire of God! Lord, I pray that you will order our steps, our thoughts, and every word that leaps from our tongue. Father, surround my friends with your presence and empower us all to do your will! Thank you for loving us more than anyone else ever could.

In your name we pray, Amen!

Part I

Get a G.R.I.P.

Confession Time

It’s time for me to come clean. Time to lay it all out on the table, confess, disclose my well-kept hidden secret to the world, and come to grips with the unavoidable truth that I have an unpleasant, downright annoying, sinful habit.

I’ve always said that if there was a local weekly support group for this wide spread global addiction, I would reluctantly be the first to stand up to give my name. So here it goes my impromptu delayed introduction. My name is Beverly and, well, um… I am a member of Worryaholics Anonymous.

I’ve been known to worry about my kids, marriage, job, a doctor’s diagnosis, the flip flopping numbers on my uncooperative bathroom scales, the depleting balance in our often drained checking account, past regrets, and a host of other concerns on my lengthy list. At times I have even struggled and shamelessly battled a debilitating, life draining disease that I call the People Pleasing Syndrome!

I know what it’s like to toss and turn, to lie awake in bed at night because you just can’t sleep. I’ve tasted salty tears as they rushed down the side of my cheeks after yelling out in frustration, “God are you there? Are you even listening?” I’ve experienced the pain of gossip, rejection, been walked out on, carried the weight of guilt, unforgiveness, and felt that sickening misery that lingers deep down in the pit of the stomach when you are attacked by what ifs, if onlys, and the whys of life, and you desperately want more than anything to experience some kind of peace.

In light of this admission, I think it’s only fitting that I get candid with you about something.

Oh, I’m full tilt at speaking on worry and fear, all the while encouraging others. Yet I still recognize that the conflicted skirmish of negative thoughts within my own mind has always been a REAL battle.

I once read somewhere that the average person has an estimated 50 to 70 thousand thoughts running through their mind in a given day. Some days I suspect that I conjure up that many thoughts in a single hour!

Think about this: every single action that you do started with a thought. Our minds are in a constant battle with evil and good. There are days when the enemy tries to make me feel like a total failure; he attacks my mind and tells me I’m not smart enough, pretty enough, not qualified, and that I tee-totally FLUNK at motherhood, as a Christian, and as a wife.

In all honesty, if I am not careful, those thoughts can pull me into a dark pit of unexpected depression. A while back, I went to pick up my kids from school. It had been one of those “I give up, I just want to QUIT!” days in ministry. My overcommitted calendar and work at the crisis pregnancy care center had emotionally drained me. Among the schedule of appointments, was a meeting with a young teen-aged mom who had been raped.

Soon after finding out that she was pregnant, in an attempt to end her life and the life of her unborn child, this young girl had cut her arms multiple times with a razor blade.

She went on to explain to me how after the botched suicide attempt failed, she had thrown herself down a flight of stairs. The fear in her voice, jumbled together with all of her unknowns, cries for help, and my wanting to “fix it” personality, had left me numb.

As I approached the school car rider line, the enemy immediately began to have a fiasco with me, and pounced on my mind with negative thoughts. You’re not smart enough, not qualified, you’ve bombed as a mother, flopped as a wife, and you’ll never amount toanything began to resonate in my ears.

My teen aged son opened the car door and leaped into the front seat, while my daughter rested in the back. At that moment, every single deep-rooted emotion I had compressed for what seemed like 20 years exploded and gushed out of my mouth.

Right there in the front seat of that 215,000 mile, compact clunkermobile, I had a momma meltdown and blurted out, “I am so sorry! I have been a terrible mother! All the other moms on Facebook cook gourmet meals, biscuits, meatloaf, vegetables, and homemade pies. The closest I have come to that this week is hot dogs made with red dye number 40 and Fruit Loops for dessert.

“I’m just awful! On top of that, you’re the only kids in line without monogrammed lunch boxes. You had to bring your sandwich in a grocery store plastic bag. I have failed!” Tears went to falling and snot went to flying as I let all my frustrations and emotions ooze out.

Puzzled by my outburst, my son looked at me and said something along the lines of, “Mom, get yourself together. Now is NOT a good time for you to have an emotional breakdown. We are in the car rider line and every girl’s eyes are on me. You’re gonna ruin my chances! Snap out of it mom. Get yourself together.”

All of us have been there. Your stories may not be quite as dramatic as mine. For some of you, the story is much worse. And for many of you, the fiery darts of fear are being launched at you right now.

Have you ever noticed that spiritual warfare conveniently attacks when you are exhausted, hungry, overcommitted with your schedule, rushed, or overwhelmed?

How about when you are hangry? (That’s hungry and angry all mixed together) You know what it’s like to be assaulted with negative, pessimistic thinking, and to agonize with fear. You may even be walking out that season right now of those painful days and nights, which seem to go on for what feels like months.

Years ago, I walked out that fear and uncertainty in my marriage. Everything seemed so dark. I found myself tangled in an emotional affair, a web of deception, and living a life flirting with sin. My marriage was broken, and I no longer had the will, want, or desire to fix it. My mind became consumed with thoughts of bitterness and unforgiveness.

Over and over again I pondered the hurtful names that I had been called, the lack of communication, non-existent intimacy with my husband, and the cutting words spewed toward me in moments of anger after I purposely and arrogantly pushed all his buttons. I used it all to justify wanting to end my marriage.

The Look of Hopelessness

I could see the look of worry, fear, and doubt looming over my husband’s thinning face. I tried to ignore it yet, I could sense his dire hopelessness. He refused to give up on our marriage. I remember looking out from the balcony of our church, Sunday after Sunday, as he would make his way to the altar during the invitation, drop to his knees weeping, crying out to God to restore our family. All the while, I would sit there unmoved by his emotions, still adamantly planning how to end the marriage so that we could both get on with our lives.

God miraculously restored and brought about divine healing in our marriage. My husband still shares with the couples we counsel how those days for him were filled with so much grief, uncertainty, and pain. For the first time in his life, he knew what it was like to feel that all hope was gone.

Do You Feel All Hope Is Gone?

Maybe you are there now. You find yourself right smack dab in the middle of a blazing fire, a broken marriage, an ugly separation, a dispute with a teen aged son or daughter, unresolved hurt from your past, a diagnosis of cancer, sickness, grief from the death of a loved one, or a struggle in your finances- the debt just keeps mounting and you cannot see any possible way out of your situation. Fear commands control of your mind, holding you captive while paralyzing you in its grasp.

A sure sign that life is unraveling is when worry hits you. Those times when it seems that all of hell is breaking loose and you can’t seem to get a grip on life. I know all too well what it’s like to walk into a church with my plastic, phony smile, acting as if I had it all together, yet deep inside I was dying and feeling as if my world was about to collapse.

Some of Satan’s Greatest Weapons are Psychological

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” John 10:10 (KJV)

Do you understand that Satan wants to kill your hopes and dreams, destroy your family and relationships, bury your self-esteem, and crush you?

Think about it- he doesn’t have to bind you with a rope to kill or destroy you.

Worry and fear are two of the enemy’s most popular weapons he uses against us to steal our faith and keep us in bondage. Satan knowingly sets out to bombard your thoughts with worry which can make you physically sick, cause you to question God, be tormented with fear, and even filled with anxiety. Worry can lead to panic attacks, depression, make you doubt your self- worth. It can contribute to weight gain, headaches, and even provoke heart attacks.

“I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to sin that is still within me.” Romans 7:22-23 (NLT)

Are you being attacked with paralyzing fear? HOLD ON!

My God has heard your moanings and your groanings and He has seen your tears! I remember my first year of church youth camp. I was excited to have my very own yellow and black polka dot bathing suit but even more thrilled to be swimming in the pool with the older girls.

They could flip and do awesome amazing tricks from the diving board. It was all I could do to keep my head afloat. The doggy paddle was the only swimming technique I had ever known. I ain’t gonna lie to ya’ll, it still is!

Here I found myself in a nine feet deep concrete swimming pool where my lack of experience was showing. I didn’t dare allow the big girls to discover that I did not know how to swim.

Little by little, I would edge just a little bit closer to the drop off at the deep end of the pool, attempting to maintain the fake appearance of a skillful swimmer. I would hold on to the side, laugh, cut up with the others, and hope no one would ever suspect that I truly was a novice.

Then it happened! There was a large splash into the pool made by one of the adult swimmers, and it caused me to lose my footing. The water went right over my head and I slipped from the guardrail plummeting beneath all nine feet of water.

Paralyzed with fear, I began to panic and gasp for air. My heart raced, and thoughts of death crept into my young mind as the water rushed in through my nose and mouth. I began to tell myself, “Kick! Just paddle back up to the surface.” The anxiety soon took over as I swallowed even more water. “Kick, kick! You can do it! Kick yourself back up to the top.” Struggling, I mustered up enough strength, stretched out my arms and was able to paddle up to the top long enough to let out a loud scream for help.

At that moment, the lifeguard tossed one of those red and white life rings to me and a counselor jumped in to save me.

Fear vanished in the arms of my rescuer!

What an overwhelming sense of relief to feel the arms of my rescuer so tightly around my waist and to know at that very moment, everything was going to be fine. More importantly to me, I was going to live!

There have been times in my adult life when I was crippled by that same gripping fear I experienced that day as a child. Life hit harder than I ever expected and I didn’t know how I was going to make it or come back up to the surface.

How will we survive on one paycheck after I lost my job? How do I survive the doctor’s diagnosis after finding a lump in my breast? How will I survive a crumbling marriage, or the grief from the sudden death of a loved one? It was during those times that I felt as if I was going under. That kind of fear will disrupt your life, drain all of your strength, and cloud your judgment. It’s time to cry out, “GOD, I FEEL LIKE I AM GOING UNDER! Help me! Toss me a life ring! Lord, I’m depending on you to save me.”

You’re Not Going Under!

I want you to know that our God did not give us a spirit of fear, but instead He has given us POWER and love to overcome those fears. Let’s face it. We all experience times of uncertainty or difficulty.

Friends, there will be those days of rough waters, days when your very faith is fractured and shaken to the core, when you have to take hold of God’s promises found in the Word, reach out to the one true Lifesaver, call on His name, go to kicking with all that is in you, and find rest in knowing that your Lifeguard walks on water. You can find safety in His arms. He loves you and I can assure you that my God is not about to let you go under.

“Fear not for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

So what do you do when everything seems like it is falling apart? When demons have been unleashed and it feels like all of hell is breaking loose? When you are standing at the crossroads of despair, wondering which way to turn, and you find yourself giving up, giving in, or losing hope?

Get A G.R.I.P.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember as a young girl being picked on in school, and how my self-esteem was squashed. Someone had undoubtedly called me a name, made fun of my freckles, pony tails, long granny dress, or two front buckteeth, and I had come running into the classroom crying.