When Your Past Is Hurting Your Present , livre ebook

Harvest House Publishers, Inc. - Augustine Sue

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291 pages

English

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Bestselling author Sue Augustine leads the reader along a clear, manageable path to reconciliation with a painful past. Relying on biblical principles and using her own heart-rending story, she points the way to a future full of hope.With compassion and empathy--and plenty of "telling-on-herself" humor--she shows readers how to...Identify, release, and change how they respond to the pastOvercome the "victim" mentalitySet goals for the future with passion and purposeFears will be conquered and dreams renewed for those seeking to cut loose the baggage of the long ago. A must-read for anyone struggling with a difficult past that is harming their present and crippling their future.

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
Date de parution	01 août 2005
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736936828
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	9 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0646€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Verses markedTLBare taken fromThe Living Bible, Copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Verses markedKJVare taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Verses markedNKJVare taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verses markedMSGare taken from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Verses markedNASBare taken from the New American Standard Bible ®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Verses markedAMPare taken from The Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Verses markedNCVare taken from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Nashville, TN 37214. Used by permission. Verses markedGNTare taken from the Good News Translation—Second Edition © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. Verses markedNLTare taken from theHoly Bible,New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Cover by Left Coast Design,Portland,Oregon Cover image ©Mandy Pritty/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Augustine, Sue. When your past is hurting your present / Sue Augustine. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-1537-3 ISBN-10: 0-7369-1537-0 (pbk.) 1. Christian women—Religious life. 2. Change (Psychology)— Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title. BV4527.A94 2005 248.8’6-dc22

2005001503

All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

/ VP- MS /

For my beautiful daughters, Sheila Marie and Lori-Ellen, precious gifts from God who have been a constant delight and incredible source of inspiration, comfort, hope, and love— and In memory of my mom

Acknowledgments Even though my name is on the cover, I could only write this book because of the love and support of so many others. I’d like to say thank you… …to God, who is always ready and more than able to transform a hurt-ful past into a bright and glorious future; …to my husband, Cliff, my prayer partner for more than 25 years, who has pushed me to pursue the best God has for me, and who is adored more than he’ll ever know; …to my four beloved grandchildren—Kurt, AJ, Alexandra, and Cassie—whose infectious enthusiasm and sweet innocence have taught me much about living in the moment; …to my fun-loving sisters—Lois, Carol, Ticha, and Ruthie—who offer me tremendous opportunities to “get away from it all” and be a kid once again; …to my pastor, Rev. Peter Cuke, who speaks faith and truth through his consistent and uncompromising teaching of the Word; …to all my dedicated friends, who prayerfully support me, and with whom I can feel free to process my innermost thoughts, views, and ideas; …to the many women who graciously allowed me to interview them and share their stories in order to bring enlightenment to others, even though most of the names in this book have been changed to protect their identities; …to all the wonderful people at Harvest House Publishers, for their faith in this project—in particular Barb Sherrill and Teresa Evenson, who believed that my personal story of overcoming a tragic past was one that needed to be told to encourage other women to move beyond the fears that cripple their dreams, and Shana Furjanic, for her expert work in editing the manuscript; …and last but not least, to my cat, Daffy, who gives me enormous joy and comfort as she snuggles on my lap or warms herself under the desk lamp while I work into the wee hours at my computer.

Contents

A Glimmer of Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Part One:Relinquish Your Past 1. Yesterday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. The Promise of Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. The Choice Is Always Yours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Ready. Set. Let Go! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Forgiving the Unforgivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Starting Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Reclaiming Your Inner Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17 29 41 53 67 79 89

Part Two:Renew Your Present 8. Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 9. From Problems to Pearls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 10. Resiliency—Bouncing Back After Adversity . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 11. Unpacking Your Emotional Baggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 12. Oh Courage, Where Art Thou? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 13. Conquering the Fears that Keep You Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 14. It’s Okay to Be Assertive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Part Three:Rebuild Your Future 15. Tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 16. Where, Oh Where, Has My Self-Esteem Gone? . . . . . . . . . 205 17. God Is Talking—Are You Listening? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 18. Be Still, My Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 19. Unlocking the Hidden Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 20. Building Foundations Day by Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 21. Set Free—at Last! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

285

A Glimmer of Hope

WHAT IF YOU KNEW THAT IN THE NEXT21DAYSyou could finally leave your past behind? If you could start over with a brand-new begin-ning after only three weeks, what would you be willing to do to see it happen? Chances are, if you believed the damaging effects of your past could be altered so suddenly, you’d be receptive to making some signif-icant changes and trying some new concepts. That’s exactly how I felt a number of years ago when someone sug-gested to me there was a way out of the despair, disappointment, and heartache I was experiencing, and I didn’t have to spend the rest of my life in therapy searching for the answer. It gave me hope to think I could move from a past that was harming my present into a future filled with potential and possibilities. The best part was that it could happen nat-urally and quickly. After suffering a number of devastating and dis-turbing events that left me overwhelmed and feeling like a failure, I was baff led and confused, with nowhere to turn. What I want to share with you are the powerful truths that so dramatically transformed my life. I’m excited because I know they can do the same for you! It’s a well-known fact that in 21 days you can form a new habit pat-tern, develop fresh routines, or create different comfort zones for your-self. For example, it takes approximately three weeks to be at ease in a new job position or feel comfortable when you move into a new house. If you purchase a different car, it’s about 21 days before you’ve adjusted to all the gadgets and remember which side of the gas pump to pull up

When Your Past Is Hurting Your Present

to when you’re purchasing fuel. It’s the same when you’ve switched storage drawers but keep returning to the one where you used to keep the cutlery or your underwear (hopefully not in the same drawer!). I’ve often thought this is why a three-week vacation could be dangerous. In that short time, you might create an entirely new lifestyle for yourself— and it wouldn’t be so easy to go back to the original one! In this book, there are 21 chapters, seven in each of the three major sections. There’s also something noteworthy about the number seven. It seems to be a significant number to God, because it is mentioned many times and for many purposes throughout the Bible. For example…

•

When talking about healing our wounds— The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORDhis people and heals thebinds up the bruises of wounds he inflicted(Isaiah 30:26). When talking about trusting and obeying God— By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days(Hebrews 11:30). When talking about hearing from God— At the end of seven days the word of the LORDcame to me (Ezekiel 3:16). When talking about rest— For in six days the LORDmade the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORDblessed the Sabbath day and made it holy(Exodus 20:11).

These are just a few of many references. I want to encourage you to read seven chapters a week, one each day—you can complete this book in 21 days. The chapters are brief, but what you discover on these pages dur-ing the next three weeks could mark the turning point in your life. Twenty-one days is not a long time to invest in your future when you