O aborto destrói a alma de uma mulher, mas Deus oferece redenção

O aborto destrói a alma de uma mulher, mas Deus oferece redenção

O aborto destrói a alma de uma mulher, mas Deus oferece redenção

 

by Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Toni Weisz experienced a troubled childhood. She started drinking at age 12 and became sexually active at 16. She once thought she was pregnant, but it turned out to be a false alarm. But Weisz’s promiscuous lifestyle would soon catch up with her, causing her to abort her first child at the age of 21.

Weisz told Live Action News, “My ungodly behavior got me kicked out of college in New Jersey, so I eventually transferred to a university in Ohio, started dating a man and got pregnant. I had been living a double life — a quiet, compliant girl at home, but covertly, was a sexually immoral young woman who abused alcohol and started dropping acid at 17.” READ THE REST OF THIS STORY HERE: https://www.liveaction.org/news/toni-first-hand-abortion-destroys-soul-redemption/

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Limites

Limites

Limites

By Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Scriptures: Salmo 34:18, Jeremiah 29:11, e john 3:16

According to Psychology Today, “Personal boundaries are the limits we set with other people, which indicate what we will accept and what we consider unacceptable behavior towards us. To know our boundaries comes from a healthy view of ourselves.”

From the book, Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You, our view is distorted due to emotional trauma we experienced as children. The two types of traumas described in this book are Trauma A & Trauma B. The Trauma A we experience as children is when we do not get the love, attention, and care we need from our family. Trauma B is extreme abuse: sexual, emotional, and/or physical. All these experiences as children cause us to have a distorted view of ourselves, Deus, e outros, and it prevents us from maturing into healthy stable adults.

This distorted view of ourselves, especially those of us who have had abortions, opens up the door to all kinds of unhealthy and destructive behavior. God created women to love and nurture their children, and when we do the opposite, I believe our very souls are shattered into a million pieces. Our hopes and dreams as young girls are dashed, and we are now open to all kinds of ungodly behavior to somehow numb our pain. We are tormented and feel desperately alone, depressed, and even suicidal.

For you precious ones who experienced abuse of all kinds when you were young also struggle to put up boundaries. There is always the fear that people will leave us if we do. But boundaries are to protect us from people who are unhealthy and who will continue to abuse us.

So how can we stop this destructive cycle of accepting and enabling unhealthy behavior from others? Primeiro, we must realize we have a Savior and a friend who is the lover of our soul, and His name is Jesus. He is the only one that can heal our broken hearts, our broken bodies, and our broken spirits.

Salmo 34:18 ESV
“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves the crushed in spirit.”

He is the only one who can take the disaster we have made of our lives and restore order and peace. And He alone can give us new hope, new dreams, um novo propósito, and a new life.

Jeremiah 29:11 NVI
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

As a child, I did not learn what healthy boundaries looked like. I became a people pleaser at a very young age, and as a result, I allowed people to take advantage of me and treat me very poorly, and I never said a word. I wondered why I never truly felt loved by others; what was it? I didn’t think I was a person of value because of the way others treated me. Especially after my abortion, my self-loathing and depression really kicked in, and I was really struggling with feeling deeply connected and loved.

If I do not love myself, how can I expect others to love me and treat me properly. They wouldn’t. I was enabling unhealthy behavior because of the way I felt about myself. But when Jesus started healing me and His love came into my heart and I realized who I was in Him, I no longer felt like I deserved to be abused. I was loved by God. That’s what I needed to give me the extra courage to stand up to the bullies in my life.

For many of us, we had to learn what healthy boundaries were because we did not learn them in our home of origin. I recommend the book, Limites, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. My son bought me this book back in the late 2000’s. It was so helpful to understand why I didn’t have boundaries and how to start putting them up and insist they be respected.

It takes courage and perseverance because those around you are not going to like your boundaries, and they will challenge them. But stick to your resolve, and eventually, they will respect them and you.

God has clear boundaries. When we sin, there is a separation between us and God. We need to confess those sins so that we are now right with God and that relationship is restored. God’s Ten Commandments are an example of boundaries.

Like you, I had wounds and issues from my past, which caused me to be self-consumed and blinded, and I could not see how I was hurting others closest to me. Only God can give us awareness and the courage to stop enabling unhealthy behavior and establish healthy boundaries. I was a little nervous the first time I used my voice to establish my boundaries. I explained my boundaries and insisted they be respected. There was some pushback, but I was not going to waiver.

At first, putting up boundaries is hard to do. But as God heals us, we get stronger, bolder, and more courageous. And we no longer want to just exist; we want to experience the abundant life Jesus came to give us. The first step in recovery is recognizing my life is unmanageable and I need God to help me.

Dear One, I want you to know that God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for you

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Have you received this gift of love and forgiveness from God? Se não, you can do that today?

If you do know the Lord, then ask Him to help you to love yourself and to have courage to put up boundaries and no longer accept unhealthy behavior. He will help you if you ask Him. He did it for me, and I know He will do it for you too.

Perguntas para levar a sério:

  1. Did you grow up in a home with healthy boundaries? Yes or No
  2. When did you first realize you did not have healthy boundaries?
  3. How did you start putting up boundaries? Was it received well? Se não, what challenges did you experience?
  4. How can we pray for you in this area?

I hope this topic has been helpful for you. Please reach out if you need prayer or someone to talk to. You can email me at: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

Você é amado,
Toni

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Deus cobriu seus pecados?

Deus cobriu seus pecados?

Deus cobriu seus pecados?

by Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Scripture References: Genesis 3:6-21, Salmo 85:2, Salmo 32:1, and James 5:16

Genesis 3: 7-9 e 21
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees in the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” Also, for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

Hebrews 9:22b
UMAnd without the shedding of blood is no remission.

Salmo 85:2
You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin.

Salmo 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one to another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

It’s interesting when we read the verses in Genesis 3 how Adam and Eve tried to cover up their (nakedness) sins by sewing fig leaves together, but they were still in their sin. They were still hiding from God. Only God can forgive sin and remove it from us. It wasn’t until God sacrificed an animal and blood was shed, a foreshadowing of the precious blood of Jesus shed for us to cover our sins, that their nakedness was covered. This is the first time in Scripture that an animal is killed for a sacrifice for sin.

I tried everything to cover my sins on my own, but that never worked because I was covering up my sins with more sins. I had created this huge web of secrets and lies, and I found myself getting more and more tangled in them. I didn’t know how to break free of this. Without Christ, it was impossible. But when I received Jesus as my Lord in 1994, I had the Holy Spirit to help me to have victory over sin and this destructive pattern.

It wasn’t until I surrendered to God and asked Him to forgive all my sins that my sins were covered. This is an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. As God reveals truth in areas we were once blinded in, we have awareness, and with that comes responsibility.

“What is my part, senhor? Show me what I need to do to make things right.”

Confessing sin to one another, apologizing for things we have said or done, and always asking God to show us our sins and shortcomings are all part of the ongoing process. We are always responsible to do the right thing regardless of what someone else does to provoke us.

In Step 4 of the 12 Steps of AA, we are to make a search and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. The next, Step 5, is to admit to God, ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

God wants us to go to Him about all our sins that the Holy Spirit convicts us of. It’s not a blanket prayer for the rest of our lives, e.g., “O God forgive my sins.” He wants us to mention each one to Him. He wants us to be broken over our sins and to turn away from them. He has so much He wants to show us.

Are you willing to sit at His feet and put everything else in your busy life on hold while He ministers His grace, paz, and love upon you?

Take some time right now. Come, Holy Spirit, and show each of us areas that we need to work on, ways we have fallen short and have disappointed You and hurt others. Help us, senhor, to be clean vessels ready for Your use.

What has God reveled to you? Write it down.

Our sanctification is a lifelong process. God wants us to bring everything into the light that the Holy Spirit reveals to us. “Show me, Lord Jesus, areas I have sinned against You and another person.” He wants us healed in all areas of our life, and this is a process that takes sometimes decades. We must be patient and kind to ourselves, especially those of us with abuse in our past.

Perguntas para levar a sério:

  1. What did God reveal to you today?
  2. What area(é) in your life has God showed you that you need to address, change, apologize for, or repent from?
  3. Do you have an accountability partner that can help you in these areas?
  4. Como podemos orar por você?

Please know it takes hard work to heal from trauma, and not many people do it because it hurts sometimes. But the hurt will subside as God reveals even more truth and He fills you with His love and peace.

senhor, strengthen these women to step out and trust You. We ask You to heal all their wounds. In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

Você é amado,
Toni

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Quem são as pessoas da sua varanda?

Quem são as pessoas da sua varanda?

Quem são as pessoas da sua varanda?

By Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Referências bíblicas: Hebrews 10:24 and Matthew 11:28–30

Balcony peeps (people) are individuals who cheer you on in your life. They are literally hanging over the railing of a balcony, cheering you on in your walk with Jesus and in the hard things you have experienced in your life. They are your cheerleaders.

Who do you see as your balcony peeps? Can you see their faces? Can you hear their words of encouragement?

Too many people, even in ministry, are not kind, gentle, loving, or supportive. I have experienced a lot of pride lately in leadership roles, and it makes me very sad because I know that is not pleasing to our God.

In the book, Balcony People, the author talks about the toxic people in our lives and how much importance we put on their words instead of focusing on the positive people God has put in our lives that help stir us up to love and good works. (Ref. Hebrews 10:24)

 

Here is a poem by an anonymous source taken from the book, Balcony People by Joyce Landorf Heatherley:

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club to discuss my hunger.
THANK YOU.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel to pray for my release.
NICE.

I was naked, and in your mind, you debated the morality of my appearance.
WHAT GOOD DID THAT DO?

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
BUT I NEEDED YOU.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the shelter of the love of God.
I WISH YOU’D TAKEN ME HOME.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.
WHY DIDN’T YOU STAY?

You seem so holy, so close to God; but I’m still very hungry, sozinho, frio, and still in pain.
DOES IT MATTER?

 

How do we meet these women’s needs? They need a safe place to come to lay their burdens down. That’s why we do the Sunday Conference calls. We want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these dear precious women. We provide a community of women who have experienced the same trauma because we have walked the same walk. We know through experience what they are feeling.

They are yearning to feel deeply connected in a safe community. They have been used and abused and feel isolated in their pain, and they are vulnerable to the attacks of the evil one. They desire to be seen by others. They need love, support, and encouragement that one day, if they seek God with their whole heart, they will be healed. But it’s hard work, and that is what we are here for, to cheer them on and to help them heal from their past trauma. It is God that leads them to us, and it’s through the power of Jesus, the Word of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit that they are healed. We are just vessels God uses to accomplish this miraculous work.

We meet their spiritual needs as well as physical needs. We do not judge them for the things that have happened to them in their past because that does not define them. We love them, and we know they are weary with their pain and trauma from their past.

We are reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28–30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I thank God for each of you on this call today. I know most of your stories, and I am in awe of God and the work He has been doing in your lives. I get to watch God miraculously heal your broken hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits. I am truly honored and humbled by the privilege to serve in this ministry and for each and every one of you.

Perguntas para levar a sério:

  1. Who are your balcony peeps, your cheerleaders?
  2. Do you see them hanging over the balcony cheering you on? What are they saying to you?
  3. Who are you encouraging? For those that are just beginning your healing journey, take care of yourself and your family first, then you can reach out to others.
  4. How can we pray for you on your healing journey?

Please reach out if you need to talk this week. Send me a text at: 561-327-7274 or email me at: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

Você é amado,
Toni

Leia mais sobre os blogs de Toni AQUI.
Quais são seus gatilhos?

Quais são seus gatilhos?

Quais são seus gatilhos?
by Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Referências bíblicas: Salmo 91:2–4, Salmo 17:8, Salmo 37:40, Jeremiah 29:11, Salmo 147:3, Romanos 8:37 and Zephaniah 3:17

 

What are triggers?

A trigger is an impulse that prompts a negative reaction caused by another’s words, actions or a specific situation, especially for those who have experienced trauma from abuse, addiction, and/or abortion.

 

I suffered from depression since I was a teenager and started going to secular counselors when I was 17 anos. It took me a long time to figure out where this depression came from.

What triggered it?

I noticed a pattern. When there was a special occasion, like my birthday, Christmas, college graduation, or moving back to NJ after being away for 10 anos, I had certain expectations that I would be celebrated in a certain way with gifts and parties. When those expectations were not met, then I felt unloved and insignificant.

When things did not go as I had hoped, I would fall into a very deep depression that would last weeks at a time. This happened to me until I was 34 anos.

I was codependent, and I was triggered by the actions and words of others so much that they determined my outlook on life and how I felt about myself. It was a vicious cycle that lasted many decades.

In my home of origin, we never discussed or worked through hard things. People just yelled or gave you the silent treatment. There was never any resolution. No forgiveness, no grace, no healthy communication. It has taken me many years of hard work to learn how to communicate properly and how to put up healthy boundaries.

I am so grateful for my relationship with Jesus, my Savior. He is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my High Tower, my Friend. He is my only hope. He will bind up all my wounds and heal my broken heart. I know what He thinks of me. I am the apple of His eye. He rejoices over me with gladness. He quiets me with His love, and He rejoices over me with singing. He is very pleased with me.

I am forgiven, redeemed, loved and cherished by God. I am adopted into His family. I am victorious in Christ; nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord. These are the truths I am focusing on to heal my broken heart.

Perguntas para levar a sério:

  1. What are some of your triggers?
  2. Have you been able to discern where they come from?
  3. What have you learned over the years to help protect yourself from these intrusive thoughts?
  4. What are some of your favorite Scriptures to help you when you are triggered?
  5. Como podemos orar por você?

Rezo para que este tópico tenha sido útil para você. If you need to talk, please reach out with an email at: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

 

Você é amado,
Toni

 

Leia mais sobre os blogs de Toni AQUI.
Ferramentas que o inimigo usa para nos manter em cativeiro (Parte 1–3)

Ferramentas que o inimigo usa para nos manter em cativeiro (Parte 1–3)

Ferramentas que o inimigo usa para nos manter em cativeiro (Parte 1): Temer

by Toni Weisz/ Recovery Tools

 

Referências bíblicas

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given me the Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

 

Question: What is preventing me from recognizing I have a problem?

 

Fear is a tool the enemy uses to keep me in my dysfunction: the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, and fear that if I do change, I will lose a relationship.

What are your fears? Make a list of them all.

What is preventing you from truly looking at your life and asking God to help you change?

When I truly ask and seek the truth, God shows me my wounds and the lies I believe about Him, myself, e outros. Once He shows me those areas, I accept them and seek His wisdom to change the things I can.

My areas of woundedness were once fear of rejection and abandonment, and believing the lie that if I was perfect, I would be loved. These fears caused me to become a people-pleaser and made me think I had to earn love from others and God.

I believed God would not forgive my sin of abortion, that my sin was too great. Now I know that was a lie from the enemy to keep me in bondage. I also believed I deserved to be emotionally abused because of my sins.

All this unhealthy thinking kept me in emotionally abusive relationships, isolation, depressão, and hopelessness. But God in His mercy and grace filled my heart with His unfailing love, giving me the courage to step out of the darkness into His beautiful transforming light.

He helped me recognize the root causes of these lies and how to shred those lies to pieces using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

 

Como podemos orar por você?

I pray this topic has helped you to discover and conquer the fears and the root causes in your own life. Please reach out if you need prayer or a word of encouragement. Email: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

Você é amado,
Toni

Ferramentas que o inimigo usa para nos manter em cativeiro (Parte 2): Negócio

by Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

 

Referências bíblicas:

Salmo 46:10
Be still and know that I am God.

Efésios 2:8–9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.

Romanos 8:15–16a
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Romanos 8:38–39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

I was always busy with so many things that I didn’t have time to think about the toxic relationships I had with some close family members. I was so involved in my children’s school and after school activities, teaching and serving at church, and raising my family that I did not have time to look at myself and recognize that I was enabling unhealthy behavior.

It was fall of 2001, and I was pushing myself hard physically so I could compete against 24-year-olds in tennis at the age of 42. I would be exhausted, but I forced myself to work out anyway.

We attended a church where obeying the rules was the most important thing. It was all a show, e in the meantime, my épirit was so grieved I could barely feel the Spirit of God in me.

Then came September 11, and my husband was flying that day from Philly to CA. For many hours, I did not know where he was or how he was. When I watched planes crash into the Twin Towers, I just remember going into shock. John’s family was calling, and I had no information on his waquiabouts.

Shortly after that in October, I fell on the tennis court and hurt myself so badly that I had a huge bulge in my right hip area. As time passed, it got worse, and I could not walk after a while because the pain shot through my entire body. From Thanksgiving through New Years, I was confined to laying on the couch because I was unable to stand or walk for long periods of time.

I couldn’t do anything for several months. For the first time, I had to allow others to do things for me. It was very humbling. I had a complete mental, physical, emotional and spiritual breakdown. My children were in high échool at that time, and they would sit at my feet on the couch and do their homework. I thank God for that special memory.

It was during the time of my confinement that God whispered to my heart, “I love you regardless of whether you serve me on all these committees at Church or you lay on the couch for the rest of your life. I love you the same. My love for you never changes. My love for you is not based upon your good works or being worthy to be loved; My love is based upon My Son’s death on the cross for your sins.”

God knew I was working for acceptance from others and Him. I was raised in a works-based religion, and I felt because of the sins from my past—all the drugs, álcool, sex outside of marriage and my abortion—that I needed to make an atonement for my sins somehow. I didn’t understand that there was nothing I could do to earn salvation; it was a gift from God (Ref. Efésios 2:8–9).

It took 10 years for that truth to finally make ité way to my heart. But once it did, it changed my whole world forever. I finally felt loved and accepted by God. I didn’t have to be good enough or check a box to be loved and accepted. I realized I needed to believe God’s Word. I can now say with confidence that I have been adopted by God, I am His child, and nothing can separate me from His love (Ref. Romanos 8:15–16uma, 38–39).

 

Questions to Take to Heart:

  1. What are you doing to keep yourself so busy that you are not dealing with your stuff?
  2. What are you running away from?
  3. How can/did you stop the busyness in your life?
  4. Como podemos orar por você?

Rezo para que este tópico tenha sido útil para você. Please reach out if you need prayer or a word of encouragement. Email: toni@myahsestobeauty.com.

Você é amado,
Toni

 

 

Ferramentas que o inimigo usa para nos manter em cativeiro (Parte 3): Pontos cegos

by Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

 

Referências bíblicas:

Salmo 119:18
“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of Your Law.”

John 8:31–32
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you will be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

 

Blind spots are areas in my life in which I have been wounded and where I cannot see my character defects, sins, and unhealthy coping mechanisms.

My life was filled with destructive choices, all of which contributed to my woundedness and blind spots. Only God could show me these blind spots and help me to see what areas in my life I needed to work through and change.

No passado, a blind spot for me was being overly protective of my children. When I was a young mom and not a believer yet, I was fearful that God would punish me for my past abortion and take one of my children. I remember when my children hit three years of age, I thought, “Oh good, I don’t have to worry about that.”

But I still parented out of fear because I didn’t want my children to make the same mistakes. They were not permitted to participate in many activities their public school friends participated in because of the church we were attending at the time.

God’s Word shined light in these dark areas that were hidden for so many years. This light set me free from my fears, helping me to trust Him to release my children into His capable hands and allow them to make their own choices.

Later on, I had to apologize to my children for not allowing them to do certain things but also for being way too protective of them. They knew my heart, and they forgave me.

Another area that I had a huge blind spot was in my relationships with others. I did not see how I was allowing others to take advantage of me by manipulating and controlling me. I never developed a voice because I was fearful of rejection and abandonment, which caused me to accept this unacceptable behavior.

I felt I deserved to be abused because of my past sins, which was a lie from the devil. I hated myself and did not respect myself. So, how could I expect others to love and respect me? I allowed others to control and manipulate me because I put their opinions above God’s in my life.

My people–pleasing was out of control, and I could never say no because I didn’t want to disappoint others. então, I ran around like an idiot, exhausted physically and emotionally drained and all along feeling very empty and unloved inside.

Why was I doing these things? Oh, yes, so others will see value in me and love me.

Well, that never worked. The only one who ever saw value and worth in me was God.

Over time, God was removing the blindness, and I started seeing my unhealthy thinking. As I was seeking Him more and the truth about my past, He started revealing things to me that I did not see before.

I am so thankful for the day when God filled me with His love so completely that I finally stopped looking to humans to approve of me or love me. I was content solely in my relationship with the Lord. He was the only one I needed. This perspective changed my life forever. I am so grateful for God showing me my blind spots so I could know the truth, confess my sins, repent and be set free.

Ask God to show you what your blind spots are.

Perguntas:

What areas has God revealed to you that were blind spots?

Can you share them with the group?

Como podemos orar por você?

I pray this topic has helped you to discover blind spots in your own life. Please reach out if you need prayer or a word of encouragement. Email: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

 

In His love and service,

— Toni

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