Laisser les choses derrière soi

Laisser les choses derrière soi

Laisser les choses derrière soi

by Luci Boudreaux/Abuse Recovery

Écritures: Philippiens 3:12-17 et 2 Corinthiens 5:17

Philippiens 3:12-17 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”

2 Cor 5:17 "Donc, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Le vieux est décédé; voir, le nouveau est arrivé.

From the time I was a young girl until the age of 25, when I surrendered my life to Jesus, I had established so many ungodly behavior patterns and unhealthy thinking, which lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms, that I was having difficulty becoming the woman of God I knew He wanted me to be. I knew I was delivered from eternal damnation but what about living an abundant life now?

I was unsure of and always second–guessing myself, very insecure and filled with painful memories which made me angry and frustrated. It affected my relationship with the Lord and others. I knew what the Bible taught me, that Jesus loves me and cast away my sins as far as the east is to the west, just as 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Donc, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; voir, le nouveau est arrivé.

I wanted to believe it to my very core, but I knew who I had been, the things I had done; my faith and hope were weak. The enemy was trying to steal my hope for a better life. I was fearful to step out and trust God in all the places of my life that needed to be dealt with before I could move forward.

But one thing was constant and strong in my heart. And that is, I wanted to be healed and whole in my inner being. I worked at it by spending time in God’s Word, in community with other believers, playing uplifting music, and listening to godly teachers who lived like they believed.

But I continued to struggle. I couldn’t understand why I was still stuck in this place and continuing to return to my old ways of thinking and doing. Does this resonate with any of you? You go to church, read God’s Word, listen to worship music, but it doesn’t seem to be moving your forward in your faith walk. Perhaps you are holding onto that one thing that is weighing you down.

At this point I sought out ministries and two specific women counselors that understood my broken past and what it felt like to have no self–worth. These women of God taught me to understand my position in Christ and that I was a new creation; I no longer needed to revisit my past for the sake of condemning myself. I learned how to recognize that the painful events of my past do not define me nor do they have to direct how I live my life for Jesus today. I learned that healthy boundaries are important and that I have the power to use these experiences to forgive, which allows me to heal and help others in their journey.

I am a very different woman today. I embrace the truth that I am a daughter of the M.ost High God, who doesn’t need to fear anything in both this world or the spiritual realm! I am a warrior, an ambassador, who God promises to equip for every situation in this life donc that I may walk in victory and display His character.

Des questions:

Are you allowing your past to hinder you from moving forward in your healing journey?

What is preventing you from embracing what God is calling you to?

How may we pray for you?

Additional Info to Share:

While we can’t erase our past, it’s important for us to allow God to use it to mature us in the present. We can’t know the details of our future so it’s futile for us to worry about it; we can only use the wisdom from God to plan our future and then submit the outcome to Him.

We can’t allow any breach in our spiritual armor.

As Paul said in Philippians 3, we haven’t “arrived,” but we are focused on moving forward, towards the goal of becoming more and more like Jesus. jen view of this, I see every situation that comes into my life as an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to teach me how to demonstrate His ways. He allows it, so I submit to it, knowing it’s for His glory and my ultimate holiness.

God is doing a spiritually renewing work in each of us. And my desire is that we all draw closer to His heart. I’m learning to distinguish what things help and what don’t help.

One of the spiritually positive things in my life is spending time with like–minded believers who I can live out my faith with. It’s important for us to pay close attention and seek out those who walk in the way of Christ. Follow their example; you will become like those you spend the majority of your time with.

Use the issues we discuss in these conference calls to propel you into a better place; don’t settle anymore! We can experience the abundant life here and now! But It takes a lot of courage to change!

Tu es aimé, and we are praying God will bring the healing you desire.

Questions to Consider:

  1. Are you allowing your past to hinder you from moving forward in your healing journey?
  2. What specifically is God calling you to let go of
  3. How may we pray for you?

We are here to help you in your journey. Veuillez nous contacter si vous avez besoin de parler. Vous pouvez m'envoyer un email à: surmonter982@icloud.com.

Your friend,
Lumières

 

 

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Attentes non satisfaites

Attentes non satisfaites

 

Attentes non satisfaites
by Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights

Références bibliques:

Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Psaume 27:13–14
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage wait for the Lord!"

 

After I surrendered my life to Jesus at age 25, I was so excited to go with God and live for Him. After years of mental and physical abuse by others and by my own poor life choices, which included abortion, I was anxious to start fresh. And I dared to dream for a normal life with God at the center.

I attended church, studied the Scriptures and hung out with other like–minded believers. I had great expectations about how God would fulfill my dreams to be a wife and a mom. And seeing all the young families at church intensified my longing to have my own family.

Years passed as my hopes and dreams went unfulfilled, in spite of my prayers. I got tired of waiting on God, so I took control and started dating a man who said the things I wanted to hear, but he turned out to be the opposite of the godly man I wanted to be with. You can read the whole story about “The Angel of Light” on MyAshesToBeauty.com under Luci’s Blogs, UNEautobus Rrécupération.

After three years of abuse and separation from God, I ended the relationship and surrendered my singleness to the Lord. And not long after this, I met the man that I’ve been so thankful to be married to for 21 années! In this difficult experience, God taught me that waiting on His timing and trusting His wisdom brings the best results.

Fast–forward to today, and again, God has me in a place of learning to trust and believe His promises. I have been physically suffering for years with GI tract and stomach pain. You might say, I carry stress in my gut! In the last few months, it has become debilitating. I’ve been aggressively reading and applying what the experts tell me to do, but nothing has brought relief. I also searched for a healthcare professional that could help to heal me. But as I prayed for guidance and searched for months, the doors continued to close.

My hope was fading as I questioned God, "Why? Why all this suffering? Why all this waiting?” In my weakened state, I believed the lie that God would not bring healing et that He wasn’t hearing my cries for help.

In this process, God showed me that I needed an adjustment in my perspective because I had lost sight of what He was and is always doing in the life of His children. He was helping me see that I was allowing the cares of this world to affect me, that I was anxious about many things, and it was manifesting in my body breaking down. En outre, he was preparing the perfect time for me to meet the right doctor. UNEnd as an added bonus, which I know was part of His plan, je not only met her but was also able to minister to her very precious mother who happened to be visiting.

God is not in the business of meeting our desires and needs in what WE believe to be the perfect time. He wants everything to be for our ultimate good (heart, mind et spirit) and for His glory. Just like Job, we can’t understand the mind of God, nor can we see the incredible plans He has for us. We have to trust that He loves us beyond our wildest dreams.

God has had His hand on my life circumstances this whole time! But He was waiting for me to give Him control and to trust His promises for me, as Scripture guides us. And one passage to emphasize is Psalm 25:9: “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way.”

 

QUESTIONS:

What are you hoping and waiting for in your life?

Do you have a testimony of how God has answered your prayer in a way that surprised and blessed you beyond your expectations?

Comment pouvons-nous prier pour vous?

 

Je prie ce sujet qui vous a été utile. You can reach me at: surmonter982@icloud.com.

 

Bénédictions,

Lumières

 

 

Retour à Les blogs de Luci

La volonté « parfaite » de Dieu

La volonté « parfaite » de Dieu

La volonté « parfaite » de Dieu

by Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights
Juin 4, 2023
Écritures: John 14:23 and Colossians 1:9b–12

 

John 14:23 (NKJV)
“Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’”

Col 1:9b–12 (NIV)
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

 

Before I met Jesus at 25, I had lived a hard life. I carried a lot of baggage because of others who had harmed me, both physically and emotionally. And because of my damaged self-image, I made a lot of poor choices. I abused alcohol and drugs and became promiscuous after being raped at age 12. As a single woman at 24, I got pregnant. Then I added injury to the pain and confusion by aborting my precious child.

As Jesus entered my life, He began to open my eyes and show me a love that I had never experienced. There was acceptance and a desire to know and be known, without fear of rejection. I knew I was safe, and this is when I began to open up to receive God’s will for my life.

Early on in my faith, I thought that God was in the business of answering “reasonable” prayers just because I prayed them. After all, I was His beloved daughter, and I knew He wanted to bless me. I strongly desired a godly husband and children, a smooth path to a vibrant ministry where I could share my faith and help other women who had been wounded, and to have no conflict with other members in the church.

I didn’t marry until I was 43, have no living biological children, didn’t establish a “vibrant” ministry (not how I imagined) and have had conflict with other members of the body of Christ. God hasn’t answered my prayers the way I desired. He did so much more! He answered them according to His perfect wisdom. Alors, I was able to grow closer to Him, and He has been glorified in my life.

As I grow in my faith, I am coming to understand that God’s perfect will is not always Him answering prayers according to my desires and my limited perspective. I am learning that His perfect will comes about when, in humility, I surrender. It’s key to a fulfilling relationship with Him. I had to come to the place where I wanted to fully surrender to God and be in an intimate relationship with Him, more than having any of my prayers answered, whatever that looks like.

 

Des questions:

 

  1. Have you surrendered your will to God? Sinon, why? What are you afraid of?
  1. Are you in God’s will right now? If so, what does that look like?
  1. How do you respond to detours and unanswered prayers?
  1. Comment pouvons-nous prier pour vous?

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Le but de mon bébé

Le but de mon bébé

Le blog de Lucie

Genèse 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

II Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Growing up in my dysfunctional family, which included neglect and sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, did not equip me to care for or respect myself as I grew in the way God intended for me. I spent many years allowing others, especially men, to use and take advantage of me for sexual purposes. Au moment où j'étais 15, I was deeply wounded and hurting. My way of coping was to act out in self-destructive ways. As I mentioned earlier, I allowed others to use me. I also drank daily and experimented with most drugs, including mind-altering substances.

I had no hope that anything in my life would improve but that it would just continue to get worse until I died. I was so angry at the way I had been treated by my father and brothers but didn’t understand how to break out of this pattern of destructive behavior.

A l'âge de 24, I slept with a man whom I hardly knew. En fait, I couldn’t even tell you his name. All I know was that he said all the right things that my heart longed to hear: that he cared for me, really wanted to be with me, and made me feel special, even if it was just for a brief time. He kept insisting that we have sex, and I resisted at first but then gave in when he said he had a vasectomy, since that meant he could not get me pregnant.

I was desperate for this man’s attention but certainly didn’t want to have a baby with him! But like most of the men I opened my life up to, he had lied to me and much to my dismay, I became pregnant. I was devastated and felt a sense of desperation as to how I would “fix” this predicament I was in. Of course, the guy who said he cared so much about me left the scene as soon as he got what he wanted.

I confided in a friend that had introduced me to him. I remember that she had a 9-year-old daughter and no husband, and it was clear that she resented her daughter greatly by the way she treated her. She told me to “Get rid of it; you don’t want a kid!” All I could think about was how I didn’t want to end up like this woman, mistreating my own child! Alors, against my better judgement and my conscience that told me “NO, this is wrong,” I chose to abort the only child I would ever conceive.

I cried every night when no one was around to see my pain. I cried for myself because of how empty this act made me feel, but mostly for this innocent child whose life I had taken so violently. I cried unconsolably, every night for months. Not knowing my Lord Jesus Christ at that time, I had no one to turn to for forgiveness and healing. As I look back on this desperate act of selfishness, I realize this was the final self-destructive thing that drove me into the arms of God! I just couldn’t live with the emptiness and pain anymore. Nine months after my abortion, J'ai abandonné ma vie à Jésus, asked forgiveness for my sins, and began to walk in the newness of life that He offers to all who come to Him in humility.

I want to read a section of the letter to the baby I named Gabriella, which means “God is My Strength”:

Bien que ta vie terrestre ait été si courte, tu as eu un impact sur le mien pour l'éternité parce que neuf mois précisément après avoir permis à cette clinique d'avortement de te retirer de mon ventre, je suis né de nouveau! Et en ce jour incroyable, mon cœur, soul, and spirit were transformed from darkness and condemnation into the forgiving and precious light of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit! Dieu a pris notre douleur et nos cendres et les a transformées en beauté éternelle!

Je consacre une grande partie de ma vie à d'autres femmes qui ont vécu la douleur et le chagrin de l'avortement en les aidant à reconnaître et à guérir de cet événement.. Je t'aime de tout mon coeur, mon précieux petit, et je te verrai bientôt!

Ta maman pardonné

 

What purpose did your unborn child serve in your life?

 

Did it move you towards God or away from Him?

 

Additional portions of letters to the unborn:

Bien-aimé, Dieu sait que ta vie n'était pas une erreur. Votre vie m'a poussé à une foi plus profonde et à une passion pour le Christ. Dieu m'a montré la grâce, love, and healing in ways that I can’t describe. Il a utilisé toutes ces choses pour de bon (Rom 8:28). Ta vie m'a permis de défendre les sans défense, to value life in the womb, and to have compassion for the hurting moms who fell into the same trap as I did. Dieu compte nos jours et même si les vôtres étaient peu nombreux, they continue to fuel my passion.

je, ta mère, te serrer dans mes bras aujourd'hui d'une manière que je ne pourrais pas 10 years ago because I feared to look into your eyes and to hear God's voice speak through the gentle grasp of your fingers saying "choose life.” In the light of my mind, Je te vois maintenant, mon premier enfant, la première de trois filles. Sais-tu que tu as deux sœurs? Savez-vous que votre vie a donné un grand sens à leur vie? A cause de toi, I cherish the very breath of life God has gifted me and those whom I hold close to my heart.

Alors que je t'embrasse aujourd'hui et toujours, J'ai abandonné la honte, culpabilité, humiliation, rejet, abandon, pride, and pain. Je rejette les mensonges qui gardaient autrefois ta mémoire cachée dans l'obscurité, loin de la lumière de la vérité.. Mon amour, ma belle petite fille, tu n'as jamais été oublié.

Le Ciel a documenté chaque instant de votre existence dans le livre de la vie. À présent, il est temps pour moi d'écrire ta page dans l'histoire de ma vie.

Dans les années à venir, quand nous nous retrouvons réunis dans l'esprit, Je serai ravi du déploiement de votre personnalité unique tissée avec l'expérience de votre brief., mais une vie significative. Pour l'instant, chérie, I entrust your care and protection to the Father, whose plans for you are greater than either you or I can imagine.

I named you Joseph because what the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for my good and for His glory. Il a échangé mes cendres contre quelque chose de beau. Joseph, vous avez inspiré un ministère appelé My Ashes to Beauty pour aider d'autres mamans à guérir de leurs avortements passés.

 

Bénédictions,

Lumières

 

 

Retour à Les blogs de Luci

Comment Dieu a changé ma douleur (Partie 1 & 2) par Luci

Comment Dieu a changé ma douleur (Partie 1 & 2) par Luci

UNEautobus Rrécupération Ssoutien ggroupe ARSG

HOW GOD TURNED MY PAIN AROUND (Partie 1) par Luci

When I was very young, still sleeping in a crib, I already felt unsafe. My older brother got enjoyment from taunting me which continued throughout my childhood. It was as if he had a demon leading him to cause me pain and fear! As night was falling, he would come to my crib, lean in and get very close to my face, scaring me so much that all I could do was lay there with my wide eyes, looking up at him, wishing he would go away! This brother continued to taunt me in various ways, throughout the years until the sexual molestation took place when I was 11. He got another brother to join in; I was still very afraid and kept it all to myself. I was a victim for all intents and purposes; my parents were not nurturers so I didn’t go to them, believing they would blame me. There was great shame attached to what was taking place. I built up a resentment and even a hatred for my brothers and my parents for not protecting me from the torment for so many years! I found out later in my teens that my father was reading porn magazines and that was the main source of my brothers disfunction. En outre, he was molesting my older sisters.

A l'âge de 12, I was lured and raped by a man in my neighborhood that was almost 10 ans de plus. It was again, frightening AND painful. After that encounter, I began my journey of promiscuity and abuse. It was very rare that I found myself in the company of a respectful and caring young or older man. It was as if I had the words ‘USE AND ABUSE ME’ on my forehead! I hated my life and believed that I was ugly and flawed.

Having left home at the age of 15, I tried to make it on my own. But I discovered the world to be a dangerous place for a young woman on the streets. I would be raped, molested and abused multiple times, by various acquaintances and strangers by the time I was 18. I joined the Air Force at 19 after a local cop attempted to molest me. I decided the military would be a safe place to lay my head and provide regular meals. But my disfunction followed me as I continued to make poor choices with men. I was hurting deep down and felt hopeless. I can remember being sent to counseling the first year in and the man who was there to “help me”, made me worse! He told me I was fragile and he was right; I cried at the smallest thing! Alors, to make his point, while in counseling, he moved close to me and yelled loudly! I jumped and began to cry. He seemed pleased that he made his point so well. I never went back to him! Men were my enemy and most women were not to be trusted.

I continued through the years with an extremely unhealthy sense of self and others. À 24, I found myself pregnant by a man I barely knew. Like so many other men I had allowed myself to be used by, he lied to me, said he had a vasectomy and really wanted to be with me! After he finished getting what he wanted, he was gone and I was alone. I didn’t have time to ask myself why all these terrible things kept happening to me; I needed to get busy and “fix this problem”! That was my MO; I concluded that no one would look out for me, I had to do it myself!

À 25, approximately 9 months after I aborted my child, the Lord showed me His forgiveness and that is when my journey of healing and restoration began! At that moment in time, when I surrendered to His Lordship, He gave me a new identity, one He always intended for me to have! I went from battered victim to precious, beautiful and beloved daughter of The King! I was now safe and under the watchful eye of my heavenly Father.

Psaume 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

I had developed so many scars over the years that it was going to take some time to work through all the pain and multiple levels of lies and distorted thinking. I started to attend a little church and there I met an older man who mentored me from God’s Word. He was an amazing model of a godly man that treated me with dignity and respect! That is the point I began to open up to the possibility that there were other men in the world that would not abuse and take advantage of me, but could be respectful and actually love me without ulterior motives.

My journey of healing and restoration continues to this day; God is lovingly pouring into me, gently teaching and bringing others into my world that show me His gracious love. And He is also using me, precisely because of my wounds and suffering, to show other wounded souls that there is hope! My scars are no longer ugly to me but are, in the words of Shauna Neiquist, “holy places, reminders of the healer Himself.”

2 Cor 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Read below Comment Dieu a changé ma douleur (Partie 2) par Luci

 

UNEautobus Rrécupération Ssoutien ggroupe ARSG

Comment Dieu a changé ma douleur (Partie 2) par Luci

 

The enemy wants to keep us in a place of uncertainty, not trusting God but believing the lifelong lies that were told to us when we were so young and impressionable, before we were exposed to the truth! He wants to see us frozen with fear and unbelief, believing that we are not “good enough” for the love God has to offer. These lies are powerful but have no hold over us because we have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus. God looks at us with pure and tender affection; He sees us as the cherished daughters we were always intended to be. Nothing can separate us from His love. We only have to embrace this truth.

The enemy has been hard at work since the dawn of man (God’s most beloved creation). My pastor shared something worth repeating:

“The devil never offers anything real, only imitations. He offers addiction as an imitation of peace, promiscuity as an imitation of love, hatred as an imitation of justice, greed as an imitation of security, isolation as an imitation of safety, entertainment as an imitation of meaning, self-righteousness as an imitation of forgiveness.” Pastor Michael Shockley

 

  1. Where are you in your process of healing from past abuse?

 

  1. What practical steps have you taken to achieve that goal?

 

  1. In what ways has God turned your pain of abuse around?

 

I cannot answer the age-old question as to why God allows certain things to happen in our lives. Notice I did not say causes? The sin of mankind causes brokenness and perversion, God allows these things for His reasons that are far beyond our understanding. But there are some passages that give us a glimpse of why He allows bad things to happen to us.

2 Pet 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”

Rom 9:22-24 “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?"

Rom 8:18-22 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

Humans have been sinning against one another since the very first family (Cain & Abel). Et 2 Peter 3:9 tells us about God’s incredible patience toward the human race. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jésus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

 

CS Lewis “We can ignore pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

 

Bénédictions,

Lumières