Many of us are haunted by the past-things we did and things that were done to us. Life is full of hardship and pain, and it's easy to hold onto the old, not allowing the new to enter our lives and bless each day. We find destructive comfort in reliving the past, but in so doing, we rob the present of its joy and the future of its promise. It is time to let go of the past. It is time to face your regrets and past pains and shake them loose, freeing yourself to finally be happy. In Gardens of Life, you will learn how to move on and move up to a better you and a better life. You can find your courage and find your hope, and in so doing help others who share your pain. You have delayed your own healing for long enough. It's time to begin the process or rediscovering your joy. Heal yourself, and help others find their own strength, peace, and courage. You do not have to be a slave to regret any longer. Break the chains, face the truth, and ultimately, be set free.
Gardens of Life
By Maria A. GoodwiniUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 Maria A. Goodwin
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4502-7285-8Contents
The crops............................................................................5Rebellion............................................................................7Cover Ups............................................................................9A Fix................................................................................11Anger................................................................................13Stop the fight.......................................................................15Fighters and Losers..................................................................17Competition..........................................................................19Godly expectations are not deceptive demands Do not desire, obey.....................21Diseases of the Soul.................................................................25Love of Self Versus Lover of Self....................................................27Forgiveness Is Not Tolerance.........................................................29Sickness.............................................................................31Sadism is deceitful..................................................................33Hard Workers.........................................................................35Beliefs..............................................................................37Poor.................................................................................39Value of Money Versus the Love of Money..............................................41Hate for the Rich....................................................................43Godly People.........................................................................45Abuse................................................................................47No Honor.............................................................................51Dishonor.............................................................................53The Pain, Abuse, and Control.........................................................55The Crop of Regimentation............................................................57Laziness.............................................................................59Hopeless.............................................................................61Jealousy.............................................................................63Neglect..............................................................................65Comfort..............................................................................67Stubbornness.........................................................................69Perfectionism........................................................................71Paralyzed............................................................................73Help.................................................................................77New Way of Living....................................................................79Past and Present.....................................................................81Discipline Is Not Regimentation......................................................83Discipline is the preservation of life...............................................85Don't be guided by the conduct of others.............................................87Idols................................................................................89Seeds and Weeds......................................................................91Feed.................................................................................93Stand Up and Walk....................................................................95Perfect love casts out fear..........................................................97Healing..............................................................................99Redemption...........................................................................101I hope for you.......................................................................103Restoration..........................................................................105Stay focus on your convictions.......................................................107Meditate and Pray....................................................................109
Chapter One
Are you Rebellious ? The crops
Of Love
And
The crops Of Fear
Rebellion Do not rebel against truth.
Rebels are not winners.
Winners are obedient to truth.
They love themselves and others.
They are encouraging
with their lives.
They are not
aggressive or arrogant.
Cover Ups When you cover up evil, because you are afraid of it,
you are giving it food to build on.
Stand for truth and do not waver, or you will
pay the price with your own life.
Do not fight with the enemy, or you will get in
trouble, do not under- estimate the power of it.
Be wise and gentle
A Fix Don't look for a fix; look for a cure.
In order to look for a cure,
you have to admit that you need healing.
Many books are written, about how to be happy, but
not too many show you the route to misery. It is hard to
look at the cause of misery, so they offer you a fix.
So you get addicted to an easy fix, which is only
temporary, and the misery continues and gets bigger.
Get rid of your idols,
and you will learn how to love.
Anger Don't try to kill the weeds with your anger.
Your anger will blind you, and you will damage the wheat; and
you might not even notice that the weeds may already be dead.
Eph.4:26 be angry but sin not
Stop the fight By fighting against prejudice,
you will become low class.
By fighting against ugliness,
you will become cheap.
By fighting against stupidity,
you will become ignorant.
By fighting against competition,
you will get lost.
By fighting against image,
you will lose your goal.
By stopping you will learn to take care of you.
Fighters and Losers When you spend time fighting
against someone's weakness,
you will miss out on your talents; and
you will stop others from using theirs.
Be not afraid.
Competition Competition comes from insecurity,
and produces jealousy and pride.
Jealousy is deceitful.
Pride is arrogant and pompous.
Pride will make you a loser.
Jealousy will make you stupid.
Shame will bring you addiction.
They make fun of each other, they war with one
another; they engage in a score game.
They can be stopped.
Replace jealousy with value and pride with honor.
Godly expectations are not deceptive demands.
Do not desire, obey. If you find where your fears come from, you have the power
to cast them out. Did they come from your fearful parents,
your friends, your teachers, or the world around you?
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