1 Corinthians 13:4-8 has to be one of the most popular verses of all time. We see it everywhere. It's printed on throw pillows and cute little signs scattered around our homes. It's recited religiously at wedding (insert winking emoji). 
 I would even go as far as saying that most people in the secular part of society could quote at least one or two lines of this verse. 
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​However, even those of us that have the entire verse memorized may not be familiar with this fun little exercise that we'll learn today. I can't remember where this was first taught to me, but it's made a huge impact on how I view relationships and I've been recommending it to others ever since. 
So thank you to whoever shared it with me!
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Today's Verse

​“If my God is for me then who can be against me?” Romans 8:31
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Reflection
 
What a powerful verse! The Bible is filled with short memory verses that we can recall whenever we feel that need for an extra dose of encouragement. This is definitely one of those verses.

What would our life look like if we believed this with all our heart?

In the face of adversity - we shout “My God is for me!”
When we feel like all four walls are closing in and we just want to give up -
“Who can be against me?”
​When we are attacked for our Christian beliefs or conservative values, we remember that the battle is already won!
When the devil tries to fill our mind with doubt and lies or we feel as though nothing in this world is going right. We fall on our knees and boldly declare,

"If my God is for me then who DARE be against me?" 

Not in a proud or boastful manner, but in a reassured confidence that is rooted in the authority of
​Jesus. 

You've heard it said that there is power in numbers. 
What an awesome God we serve that he is the only one we truly need. 
He alone is more powerful than all the militaries this world has to offer combined.  
Not a single leaf will fall from a tree without his permission. 
And yet, the God of the beginning and the end cares for you and me. 
When we are weak, we are made strong through him.
I stand in awe, amazed at his magnificent glory! 

​Our Lord Jesus Christ reigns victorious! 


Prayer 
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Dear Heavenly Father, 
We pray that your words are always on our lips and that your will is forever in our hearts. We ask that when we feel inadequate, uncertain, lost or confused that you would lead us to your word for direction. When we endure times of difficulty or injustice we can be confident that you are for us and therefore no one can be against us. It doesn’t matter what comes our way, we are protected by the almighty creator of the universe.
​May we rest comfortably knowing these truths.
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Thank you Jesus!
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If you'd like to see more posts like this, let us know in the comments!
We love receiving feedback. 

Until Next Time, 
​Your Praying Friend

A traumatic experience is defined as an event, or series of events, which cause a lot of stress. Traumatic events are marked by a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death.

​"The older you get the faster the years go by."
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So maybe you've already accomplished your 2021 goals or maybe you're like me and can't remember if you even set one. 
Since we're halfway through the year, we thought it would be a good time to check in and see what everyone has planned for the summer or if we have any goals that still need to be accomplished before the year is over. 
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​Surely, He can't literally expect us to forgive anyone and everyone.
And there must be somethings that are so egregious that we are not expected to forgive, right?
​ I mean there are some really awful people out there. 
Terrible people that have done some unspeakable things.
There must be a clause for refusing forgiveness to them.
​Let's take a look:
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Name: Rachel
Age: 42
Location: Currently Rockford, IL originally from Pickneyville, IL
Children: Son, Jordan -18  and daughter, Olivia - 16 
Favorite Bible Verse: Isaiah 43:2

Rachel grew up in a home where drinking and drugs were normalized. Her mother struggled with addiction. Rachel followed in her footsteps from a young age and all through her adult life. She and her mother lived together and used together. 
When Rachel was 40 years old her mother passed away.
​ Unable to pay the bills on her own, Rachel found herself living on the streets, eating food that restaurants threw out, and consumed by
​meth and heroin.
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Rachel had been to rehab several times in the past, but entered again in April of 2019. 

This time was different. 
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God placed her with a counselor that offered to pray with her (pictured above) and for the first time Rachel chose to surrender her addiction and her life to Christ. 
Next she watched as God moved mightily on her behalf. 
Time and time again he performed miracles that set Rachel on the road of recovery. 

Miracle Number One
​What is typically a thirty day program ended up being a three month program for her.
 
God
saw to it that she had an extended period of time to remain in a safe place where she built her relationship​ with him. 

Miracle Number Two
​
While in inpatient treatment she had to consider where she would go when she completed the program.
She was essentially homeless, but she also had legal involvement that could dictate where she must live upon discharge. 
On a long shot, Rachel applied to a recovery home in Rockford, Il.
She wasn't sure the judge would approve for her to move five hours from where she had to report for court proceedings.
This was a very anxious and uncertain time for her.  
 Weeks went by and she had not heard from the recovery home.
​She was losing hope and ready to give up. 
She came to her counselor and they prayed together. 
At that VERY moment the phone rang.
​The recovery home informed her that she had been accepted into their program.

The courts approved her transition and she moved away from everything she had ever known.
After so many years of drug charges and time spent in and out of jail -
She is now a huge success story in Franklin County, Illinois. 

God lead her on a journey that consisted of his favor upon her in the recovery home. 
She was cared for by amazing counselors.
​She continued to grow her relationship with Jesus and develop healthy coping skills. 
Relationships with her family were repaired. 
He blessed her with a great paying job that provides her the ability to help support her children.
She now has her own apartment and is a productive member of society. 
He has used her to be an integral member of AA and NA.
​She has even had the opportunity to go back to her old recovery home, tell her story, and inspire others. 
Through it all there is one consistent factor - God. 
Not only did she surrender to his will, his way, she chose him over and over. 
In each difficult situation, she ran to him!
When she wanted to make her own decisions she consulted him first. 
She stopped trying to control her destiny and allowed the designer of the whole world to work through her instead. 

On her two year sobriety anniversary she was able to help her daughter get ready for prom. 
A couple weeks later she was present for her son's high school graduation. 
How amazing!

Do you have 30 seconds to spend with Jesus today?
His word tells us to cast our cares on him, because he cares for us. 
Let's take him up on such a gracious offer! 

Today's message is one of hope. 
Hope for the person with an addiction.
Hope for the loved ones of the person addicted.
Hope for the adulterer and the abused.
Hope for the anxious and the angry.
Hope for the backslidden and the broken.
Hope for the depressed and the downtrodden.
Hope for the guilty and the gang member.
Hope for the hurting and the hopeless.
Hope for the imprisoned and the insecure.
Hope for the lost and the lonely.
Hope for marriages and the mistreated.
Hope for the powerless and the proud.
Hope for the resentful and the remorseful.
Hope for the sick and the suffering.
Hope for the community, the country, and the whole world. 
Hope for today, tomorrow, and forever. 
We have God. We have hope. 

After nearly a decade of being in the Social Work world, I've probably heard and used the words "coping skills" at least a million times. 

So what are coping skills and how on Earth are they going to help you through your loved one's addiction?
A coping skill can be anything. 
Literally anything.
We all have coping skills.
​Some are healthy, some are not so healthy. 
The goal of any coping skill is to ease whatever hurt we are experiencing. 
But the goal of a healthy coping skill is to ease the hurt, while at the same time promoting safety and wellbeing. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have some useful tools that you could utilize during times of intense difficult emotion that would not only get you through the struggle, but leave you better off in the long run?