Join me in Finding Freedom this summer – freedom from perfection, control issues, and the tendency to listen to talking snakes {i.e. believe the lies of the devil}.
Each Thursday we’ll be looking at three chapters from I Blame Eve, discussing what God is teaching us through what we’ve read and looking for ways to apply our learning to our lives.
Chapter 7: I Would Rather Not Take Responsibility for My Actions
“Blaming other people for things I’ve done seems much easier than owning up to the fat that I slipped up. I really don’t enjoy taking responsibility for my actions… We don’t want to own up to our sins because we don’t want to deal with the punishment afterward.” {p. 62, 64}
When is the last time you had to own up to your sins?
I admitted on Monday that I’ve been living in sin – I haven’t been submitting to my husband in a biblical manner. God was gracious to point it out to me, and I had to come clean of my sinful state.
“Even if we don’t own up to our wrongdoing, we will still have to deal with the consequences of our actions. One way or another our souls bend and twist under the weight of what we’ve done. We may be able to keep our mouths shut, but our lives will shout out the results of the choices we have made.” {p. 65}
Have you found what Paul says, that you reap what you sow, to be true in your life?
Nothing is worse than living with guilt. When you confess, you find freedom and forgiveness!
“Our confession allows God to do what he does best. Forgive us.” {p. 66}
When John says that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, does it change the way you view God?
Chapter 8: I Have at Least One Enemy
“In the presence of God, the devil has no power. You have just given him more power in your minds than he deserves.” {p. 70}
On a scale of one to ten, how much power have you given him in your life?
This is an area I’ve never really considered before… intellectually, I know that Satan’s only source of power is that which God allows him to have. Practically, though, I’m not sure if I live that way.
“If we stand on our own against the enemy of our soul, like Eve did in the garden, we can expect shaky results at best. But if we invite God into those weak and sin-darkened areas of our lives where the enemy does his dirty work, all the enemy can do is run.” {p. 70}
We’re not supposed to turn and run from the devil – we’re supposed to stand firm, covered by the blood of Jesus and dressed with the armor of God.
“No matter what the battle or struggle you are facing, fast and furious, slow and monotonous, he’s got you and he always wins.” {p. 71}
How does your thinking shift when you realize that the battle against the snake has already been fought and won?
Chapter 9: I Feel Really Sad That There Is Pain in Childbirth
“When we realize there are no easy solutions to real living, we try to anesthetize ourselves. We try to fashion a life with the least amount of pain… With all the pain and brokenness of this life, we have the audacity to think we can fix ourselves. We turn ourselves inside out looking for peace, for deliverance, for clarity, when as far as I can tell, we don’t have a whole lot of peace, deliverance, or clarity on hand.” {p. 75, 76}
What do you use to try and “fix” yourself?
“There is only one person who can fix the brokenness in us, and the at is the One who knit us together in our mother’s belly in the first place, the One who knows our every thought and calls us his own. He can bring peace into our lives and clarity into our minds. We have to rely on the Healer to mend our brokenness.” {p. 76}
Have you invited the One who formed you to heal those broken places in your life?
Your Turn
What stood out to you this week as you read? What light did God illumine your heart with, challenging you to grow in your knowledge of Him?
Share your thoughts with us – you can blog about it {and share the link in the comments} or simply commentbelow.
Life is not meant to be done on your own – when we do LIFE together, we grow together as we encourage and challenge one another on the journey!
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See where I’m linked up…
*A
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