Escaping the Cage of Guilt

Got to love the title …

Wild Goose Chase – Rediscover the Adventure of Pursuing God
book by Mark Batterson, published 2008, Multnomah.

Chapters -
Escaping the Cage of Responsibility . . . . . .
Escaping the Cage of Routine . . . . . . . . . . .
Escaping the Cage of Assumptions . . . . . . .
Escaping the Cage of Guilt . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Escaping the Cage of Failure …

Quotes from .. Escaping the Cage of Guilt . . . 

Has someone hurt you? It doesn’t matter how deep the hurt might be, you must forgive that person. Why? If for no other reason, Jesus commands us to. One tiny seed of bitterness can grow into a debilitating obsession.

Much of human behavior stems from conditioned reflexes. Many are small and insignificant, while others represent major personality traits. To progress toward spiritual maturity, we must acknowledge these reflexes and allow God to recondition the ones that keep us out of step with Him.

For example, guilt is a holy and healthy reflex. But false guilt can wreak havoc on our lives. Most of us have an easier time accepting God’s forgiveness than forgiving ourselves.

…

The main struggle is not being able to forget our past. We think that our sinful past disqualifies us from God being able to use us. So we fret over sins we’ve already confessed. 

And what is ironic is that bitterness doesn’t do a single thing to the other person. It only keeps you locked in a cage. If you have the courage to forgive, it will set you free and recondition your heart.

The Look in Jesus’ Eye

 
No matter what your past may hold, I can promise you this: God has not given up on you. There are times when we fail so miserably that we feel totally undeserving of God’s grace. And how we respond to those times will make or break us spiritually. We can confine ourselves to the cage or we can uncover new dimensions of the grace of God.

…

taken from: http://www.christianbooksummaries.com
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/past.php - scroll down and click on Download this summary
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/library/v5/cbs0504.pdf - Wild Goose Chase

The big scary unknown

People don’t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.
Chuck Palahniuk (1962 – )

–

This is where a trained counsellor or a fantastic friend can guide you through to a safe place. It may be scary or unknown but you don’t have to go there alone.

And in Christ Jesus there is hope and security.

Mark
www.2Restore.wordpress.com

Divorce Remedy

Again we quote Michele Weiner-Davis – if only she lived closer to New Zealand

–

The Divorce Remedy:
The Proven Seven-Step Program for Saving Your Marriage

By Michele Weiner-Davis

Chapter One – The Not-So-Great Escape

People who are unhappy in their marriages often speak of feeling trapped. They yearn to be free from the tension, loneliness, constant arguments or deafening silence but worry that divorce may not be the right decision. After all, they took their marital vows seriously. They don’t want to hurt their spouses. They don’t want to hurt their children. They panic at the thought of being alone. They worry about finances. They fear the unknown.

Yet, the idea of living in a loveless marriage starts to feel like a death sentence. They feel caught between a rock and a hard place…trapped in a life of misery. Over time, many of these people slowly convince themselves that the benefits of leaving their marriages vastly outweigh the benefits of staying. They tell themselves, “Kids are resilient, they’ll bounce back,” or “In the long run, this will be better for everyone,” or “Sure, it will be hard for a while, but change is good for people, or “Anything has got to be better than this.” It’s not until they embark on the path to divorce and begin to piece their lives back together that they discover the real price they paid for their so-called “freedom”. Regretfully, this painful discovery comes too late. They have fallen into the divorce trap.

…

http://www.divorcebusting.com/sb_the_divorce_remedy.htm

Relationship Quiz 

http://www.divorcebusting.com/a_relationship_iq_quiz.htm

A Foundation of Love

A good Proverb (19:22):

What a person desires is unfailing love.

Perfect. No strings attached. Unconditional. Secure. Never-ending. Never-leaving.

We aim to attain, but this is where we need God.