Mon peuple plait

Mon peuple plait

From the time I was a young child, I never felt secure, confident or accepted. These insecurities gave the enemy an opening into my heart. He planted the lie in my mind that if I were perfect, I would be loved. Perfection in every task and responsibility set before me became my obsession. From school to sports and hobbies—basically anything I did—I had to be perfect. When I look back, I can see that my efforts were a waste of time. The enemy’s plan was quite insidious because he knew I could never be perfect. Only God is perfect. By striving for perfection, I would ultimately fall short and feel rejected.

The enemy drove me to failure so that I would look for other means of satisfying my longing to feel accepted, included and secure. He accomplished his mission. I failed. Being the good, quiet one in the family was not working for me anymore, so I decided to rebel. At the age of 12, I began sneaking Scotch whisky from my parent’s liquor cabinet when they were attending my brother’s football practices. Alcohol use was the beginning of my demise, which ultimately lead to the death of my child through abortion. My poor choices opened the door to more evil as a consequence. My striving for acceptance from all the wrong people would lead me to use drugs and sex to fill the void in my heart, which I would later discover could only be filled by a relationship with Jesus. I had no restraint. My conscience was slowly becoming numb as I failed to use sound judgment. Over time, I barely felt conviction for sin. I wanted to protect my parents from disappointment, so I kept all of this a secret.

My fear of rejection was stronger than anything else in my life. Par conséquent, I became a people-pleaser. I would do anything to be loved and accepted. I would allow others to use me, and I used others to fulfill my desires. Heartbroken from my wound of rejection, I hungered for love, leaving the door open to accept abuse from others. I believed that I was not a person of value. I was easily manipulated and controlled by those closest to me because I had no boundaries. I had no self-respect, so others didn’t respect me either. I felt used, abused, unloved and worthless. During my teenage years, all of those unresolved emotions lead me into depression. When I entered into college, I was no longer restricted and restrained by my parents’ rules. I would drink alcohol to the point of abusing myself. I hated who I had become so much so that I wanted to hurt myself. One day in my dorm room, I actually kicked out the small window by my bed. Thank God I was wearing cowboy boots at the time, or else I would have badly cut or broken my foot. I was like a walking volcano. My excessive drinking led to fits of rage where hot lava came spewing from within my inner darkness, and I had no control over who was going to receive that hot mess. Afterwards, I would feel so much shame and guilt over my actions. It felt like being trapped in a dark pit all alone with the abuser and accuser—the father of lies. It was a living hell, but I didn’t know what to do to stop the destructive cycle.

I could never say no to anyone because I didn’t want to disappoint people. I just wanted to be loved and validated by others hoping they would see value in me because I couldn’t see it. My people-pleasing strategy backfired when I failed to follow through on all the things I said yes to. There were simply not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I had agreed to do. I would overextend myself, and then I would have to back out of things. That was such an uncomfortable thing to do. A vicious cycle had developed, and I didn’t know how to stop it. I put others’ needs above my own needs. I truly believed that if I didn’t keep a perfect house, if I didn’t follow all the rules and if I wasn’t the perfect wife, my husband would toss me away. Par conséquent, I tolerated unacceptable behavior out of fear. The enemy constantly tormented me with his lies when all I wanted was to be loved.

I realize now that the enemy wanted me to kill myself, but God had another plan for my life—one that was good and filled with hope and a prosperous future. (Jérémie 29:11) He did not allow the enemy to succeed in having me take my own life even though I had taken the life of my child. God thwarted Satan’s plan to destroy my body and my soul. God knew that I would receive Christ as my savior at the age of 34. He knew that in 2006 I would start my abortion recovery and healing journey. He knew that in 2013 I would start Mes cendres à la beauté, a post-abortion recovery and healing ministry. What the enemy meant for evil God turned around for good. (Genèse 50:20) God has been watching over me all these years while protecting me from the enemy so that I could fulfill His calling on my life. I now live my life to please God and Him alone. I no longer care about what others think of me, which is a form of idolatry. I am so humbled by and grateful for God’s mercy towards this poor broken woman who was dying inside. She is now alive and adopted as a daughter into God’s family.

Are you or/were you a people-pleaser?

Are you still concerned about what others think of you?

How did you break that dysfunctional cycle?

Jérémie 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, pensées de paix et non de mal, to give you a future and a hope.”

Genèse 50:20 – “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Bénédictions,

Toni

Audio de "Mes gens plaisent" article de blog

Audio de My People-Plaisant (espagnol)

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Mes mécanismes d'adaptation malsains

Mes mécanismes d'adaptation malsains

Les mécanismes d'adaptation sont définis comme des techniques que nous utilisons pour nous aider à gérer le stress et la douleur dans notre vie.. Les mécanismes d'adaptation courants sont évitement et isolement, le déni, activité, rationalisation et contrôle. De mon enfance, J'ai appris évitement et isolement pour me protéger des personnes ou des situations malsaines. Courir et me cacher sont devenus ma réaction habituelle face aux problèmes lorsque j'étais petit enfant.. À l'âge adulte, J'ai continué à utiliser ces tactiques jusqu'à ce que je commence mon parcours de rétablissement et que j'apprenne de nouveaux mécanismes d'adaptation sains.. Louons Dieu! Au lieu d'éviter, Dieu m'a donné une voix, et j'ai appris à communiquer mes goûts et mes dégoûts. Je n'ai jamais développé une voix en grandissant. toutefois, une fois que j'ai mis des limites, utiliser ma voix était nécessaire pour communiquer ces limites aux autres. Au fur et à mesure que le temps passait, Je me sentais plus à l'aise de partager mon cœur avec les autres sans craindre le rejet. Dieu m'a aussi dit d'arrêter de courir et de me cacher et de lui laisser le résultat..

J'avais d'énormes angles morts en tant que femme après un avortement en ce qui concerne mon rôle parental. Concernant mes enfants, Je suis devenu extrêmement sensible et surprotecteur. J'ai été parent par peur. Je ne voulais pas qu'ils ressentent la douleur que j'avais ressentie. Je pensais que si je pouvais les contrôler, peut-être que je pourrais les empêcher de vivre ce que j'ai fait. À présent, Je sais que c'était une erreur de penser. j'étais dedans le déni jusqu'à ce que je réalise deux choses: Je ne peux pas contrôler une autre personne, et faire quoi que ce soit par peur ne donne jamais de bons résultats. Alors, J'ai appris à m'excuser auprès de mes enfants pour ma parentalité surprotectrice, laissant Dieu tout-puissant changer le cœur des autres.. Quand je me sens impuissant, Je me souviens d'abandonner le contrôle à Dieu pour créer un changement chez les autres ou dans les situations. Je vivais dans le déni à cause de ma peur du rejet de mes parents et de mon conjoint.. Par conséquent, J'ai obéi à des règles ridicules pour être accepté et aimé des autres. Honnêtement, ça n'a jamais fonctionné. Quand j'ai finalement reçu l'amour de Jésus dans mon cœur, J'ai eu le courage de me débrouiller seule sans craindre d'être rejetée parce que je savais que Dieu ne me quitterait jamais ni ne m'abandonnerait..

Occupé C'était un outil que l'ennemi a utilisé pendant de nombreuses années pour que je n'aie pas le temps de reconnaître ma vie dysfonctionnelle et de travailler sur moi-même.. Dans l'année 2010, Dieu m'a dit d'arrêter de servir. Je ne pouvais pas croire qu'il voulait que je fasse ça. Que penseront les autres? Poser cette question m'a conduit directement à la réponse :tu dois travailler sur toi parce que tu es un chiot malade. J'ai répondu par obéissance et j'ai pris le temps de travailler sur ma propre guérison 2010-2012. Pendant ce temps, Dieu m'a emmené dans un endroit désert avec Lui afin qu'Il puisse dissiper tous les mensonges auxquels j'avais cru. En se concentrant sur Sa vérité, Je pourrais être guéri et enfin libéré. Bien que Dieu m'ait appelé à ce ministère en 2006, Il a finalement pu m'équiper une fois que j'ai ralenti et que je me suis concentré uniquement sur Lui..

j'avais rationalisé mon avortement parce que je croyais que puisque je prenais tellement de drogues lourdes et que je buvais en fumant 2 paquets de cigarettes par jour, mon bébé serait gravement déformé. Je sentais que mes parents me rejetteraient et seraient extrêmement déçus de moi. Mais en y repensant 40 années, J'aurais aimé avoir le courage de leur dire que j'ai fait une erreur et de leur demander de l'aide. Je ne peux pas changer mon passé. Tout ce que je peux faire, c'est en tirer des leçons et partager mon expérience, force et espoir avec les autres. Avec un peu de chance, ceux que je contacte avec mon témoignage peuvent faire des choix sains en connaissant toutes les informations à l'avance.

Contrôle était un autre outil que j'ai appris à utiliser très jeune. Je croyais honnêtement que je pouvais contrôler ce que ressentaient les autres et ce qu'ils pensaient afin de déterminer l'issue d'une situation.. Tout cela n'était qu'un mensonge. Je n'avais aucun contrôle sur aucune de ces choses. J'ai essayé de contrôler la façon dont les gens réagissaient et se comportaient envers moi. J'ai essayé de contrôler ce que les autres voyaient en moi en me cachant derrière un masque. J'ai également essayé de contrôler mon poids en prenant des pilules amaigrissantes et des pilules amaigrissantes et en me purgeant après avoir trop mangé.. Dieu m'a montré qu'en lui cédant le contrôle, Je peux être libéré de ces obsessions et de cet esclavage.

Je suis tellement reconnaissante d'avoir aujourd'hui été libérée de tous mes mécanismes d'adaptation malsains.. J'ai acquis de nouvelles compétences pour m'aider à faire face à la douleur et aux traumatismes de mon passé. J'ai dû complètement abandonner tout et tout le monde à Dieu. Je ne tenais plus si fort mes enfants. Je ne me souciais plus de ce que les autres pensaient de moi. Je n'ai pas obéi à des règles ridicules par peur d'être rejeté. J'avais maintenant une voix, et Dieu m'a appris à l'utiliser pour exprimer mes sentiments de manière saine., voie divine. Je ne suis plus esclave de mes anciennes pensées et de mes anciens comportements.. Dans les Romains 12:2, la Bible dit : « Ne vous conformez pas à ce monde mais laissez-vous transformer par le renouvellement de votre esprit… » Le temps quotidien passé avec Dieu dans sa Parole et l'écoute du Saint-Esprit m'ont aidé à sortir du chaos., dysfonctionnement et de la misère dans un monde paisible, une vie ordonnée et épanouissante.

Quelles choses malsaines avez-vous utilisées pour vous aider à faire face au traumatisme de votre passé?

Quelles sont les façons saines dont vous faites face aux choses maintenant?

Contactez-nous et obtenez l'aide et les encouragements dont vous avez besoin. Nous sommes ici prêts et attendant de vous servir et de vous aider à devenir la femme pour laquelle Dieu vous a créé..

Bénédictions,

Toni

 

 

 

—Toni

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Liberté en Christ

Liberté en Christ

John 8: 31-32, 34-36

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him. “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Quote from Ravi Zaccharias, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

We were all born with a sin nature, because of Adam and Eve’s fall in the garden, when Eve took the fruit and ate it and gave it to her husband to eat also, that’s when sin entered into the world. Sin is destructive and we are all servants to sin. Because of our sin nature we are proud, selfish, liars, disobedient, drunkards, and murderers, etc. We do not have the ability to stop this destructive cycle until we meet the only one who has never sinned, His name is Jesus our Savior and Redeemer.

What does freedom in Christ mean? Freedom in Christ means I no longer belong to Satan and I am no longer a slave to sin, doing things that are ungodly. I have a new nature, the Bible says when I confess and repent (turn) of my sins and believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God, that I am born again. I am now born of the Spirit of God. I am adopted into God’s family. When I become born again the Holy Spirit now indwells me. I now have the ability with the help of the Holy Spirit to make good God glorifying decisions.

Jesus’s death on the cross paid my sin debt, He was my propitiation, my substitute, He paid the penalty for all my sins and the sins of the whole world when He died on the cross 2000 years ago. Because of His death for me, I am now blameless before God, my sins have been covered by the blood of the Lamb, all God sees is Christ righteousness. God rescued me from the clutches of the devil, who once held me captive, and placed me in the palm of His hand. I now belong to God.

As a believer in Jesus I have freedom from the Great White Throne judgment, which is for those who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior. There is a literal place called hell that was created for the devil and his angels. It grieves the Father that any one will be in hell. This is the reason I am sharing this with you today, it is God’s desire that no one should perish but all have eternal life, I am giving you this information now so if you are unsure of your relationship with Jesus now is the time to get that secured. I am available to talk, please email me at arwsg4u2@gmail.com, and we will discuss this further so you can know for sure you have eternal life and that when you die you will be in heaven with Jesus.

If you are a believer you stand before the judgement seat of Christ, the Bema Seat, you are judged based upon things done on earth good or bad. You will receive rewards or you will have rewards taken away. You are guaranteed a home in heaven forever. A place where there is no more sorrow or death or crying, where God will wipe away the tears from our eyes.

I have freedom to live my life in a new way. Instead of being selfish and prideful I am a servant of God, I am His hands and feet in this world, to minister His love, grace, and compassion to all around me. I am now more concerned for others needs than my own. The least I can do is serve Him for what He has done for me. J'ai une nouvelle vie, un nouveau but, a new family and a home in heaven when I die. I also we see my sweet Joseph my son who I aborted 40 years ago. What a sweet day that will be, I can’t wait to kiss my son’s cheek and to hug his neck.

 

Discussion Questions

Have you ever confessed and repented (turned away) from your sins to God and do you believe that Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God that died on the cross for your sins?

If you are unsure of your relationship with Jesus, please email me so we can talk in greater detail.

 

God Bless you,

Toni

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Le cœur de notre Père céleste

Le cœur de notre Père céleste

Luc 15:10-24

Many have called this “The Running Father” instead of “The Prodigal Son” because it’s the actions of the father in these Scriptures that give a glimpse into the very heart of God our heavenly Father. D'abord, we see the father is looking for his son and spots him afar off. I can imagine every day, the father looking to the horizon for a glimpse of his son returning home. And every day losing hope that he would return.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the prodigal son. Didn’t we run away from the homes that God had given us to explore the world with riotous living? All the while our heavenly Father was watching and looking for us to return home to Him. How it must have broken His heart to see the destructive ungodly choices we made. And yet, He loves us with an everlasting love and yearns for us to come home to Him. (Jérémie 31:3b-c)

In addition, a man during this time in history would never been seen in public running through town. (which would have required him to girt up his loins by tucking his robe into his belt). I read that the son could be banned from the town or humiliated publicly, because he dishonored his father and their town with his sinful actions. This likely would have been another reason why the father ran to his son; he wanted to protect him from the humiliation and judgement of others.

Can we see how God sent His Son to die for us so we could be set free from the judgment we deserved because of all our sins? I love the correlation between the prodigal son’s father and our heavenly Father. Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthiens 5:21un) and was naked and beaten, was crucified, and died for us. He was humiliated and tortured for me and you. When I think of what Jesus did on the cross for me, I am overwhelmed with gratitude because I know I don’t deserve it, but I humbly receive this precious gift of salvation that cost God the most precious thing He had, His Son.

Lastly, we too were once dead in our trespasses and sins against God, (Éphésiens 2:1b), but when we confessed our sins, like the prodigal son, we were welcomed into the family of God. There was a celebration in heaven the day you received Christ as your Savior (Luc 15:10). God has clothed you in a beautiful white robe (Révélation 7:9) and put a ring on your finger and has adopted you into His Holy Family (Romains 8:15b-c). One day we’ll all be together for the great feast in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb (Révélation 19:9). Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus!!

Merci, Father, for the gift of adoption into your family. I am no longer an orphan, a stranger, an outcast, I am yours forever.

What is your relationship with your earthly father like?

Do you see God as a good and kind Father?

Do you truly know how much you are loved by God?

If you are not sure, just look to the cross where Jesus died, that’s how much God loves you He gave His Son.

 

Bénédictions,

Toni

Fuir Dieu

Fuir Dieu

 

Jonah, Chapters 1 & 2

When Jonah decided to go against God’s plan for him, he took a ship to Tarshish, in the opposite direction from Nineveh, to flee from the presence of God. God continued to pursue Jonah, but it was impossible for Jonah to get away from God.

God sent a great wind and a mighty tempest so that the ship was almost broken (Jonah 1:4). Even the mariners, men who were used to the sea and storms, were afraid, but they knew this one was different. Jonah tells the mariners that he is a Hebrew and that he fears the Lord, the God of heaven, and he tells them to throw him overboard so that the sea would become calm (Jonah 1:8-12). The mariners were exceedingly fearful, but God, in His mercy, prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and he stayed in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. God had to isolate Jonah to get his attention and finally, he cried out to God (Jonah 2). God rescued him and Jonah did go to Nineveh, and all were saved.

When I think back on my abortion, I see that I too was fleeing from God. I isolated myself from Him and my family. I allowed the enemy to lie to me and tell me, “Your parents will never accept you and the baby; it’s a big mistake. Take care of it now before anyone finds out.”

God had pursued me also and gave me a way to escape. The first time I went for my abortion, I was partying the night before. I was hung over and needed food, so I stopped at a place to eat on the way to the clinic. But when I got to the clinic, they said I could not have the abortion because I ate. When I think back to that day, I drove myself and I was all alone. What was I thinking? That’s the point; I wasn’t thinking clearly, at all. Whenever I have made decisions based on fear, they have never been good ones. But I didn’t allow this bump in the road to stop me from having the abortion. I bought into the lie that my child would be deformed because of my heavy drinking and drug usage. This was something I had to do; I didn’t see any other options.

I made another appointment, and that time, I did follow through with it. To this day, I wish I had not done it. But I cannot change my past. I had my abortion on December 10, 1980, and at that moment everything changed. My heart was broken, my body was broken, and my spirit was broken. It was the worst decision I had ever made in my life. My heart goes out to you precious sisters who were forced by someone else to have an abortion against your will.

I struggled with depression, crying episodes, feelings of isolation, and loneliness. I continued with the drinking and drugs, and thoughts of suicide started entering my mind. I just wanted the pain to go away. Then one glorious day, I heard the gospel for the first time on January 2, 1994 and in 4 semaines, I had given my heart to the Lord and asked Him to forgive all my sins and to heal my broken heart. From that moment forward, I would never have to feel alone again. I have a Savior who will never leave me nor forsake me. Merci, Jésus.

God has a beautiful plan and purpose for your life too. In Jeremiah 29:11, “FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS I HAVE FOR YOU, SAYS THE LORD, THOUGHTS OF PEACE AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE.” God can turn the darkest times in your life into something beautiful for His honor and glory.

“Running to God instead of away from God in the midst of suffering is not a natural response. It is the supernatural response that God equips His children with as we stare grief, uncertainty, peur, and sometimes Satan himself in the face.” Taken from the devotional, Pray BIG Things, by Julia Jeffress Sadler, LPC, on the You Version Bible App.

When have you run away from God?

Have you run to other things to help you cope with your past trauma instead of trusting God with it? What were those things for you?

Are you still running now?

I pray that you will know how much you are loved by God and that He has a beautiful plan for your life, but you need to trust Him.

I pray you trust Him today.

Tu es aimé,
TONI

 

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