Message of Hope: God will always give you the freedom to choose. He does not force anyone.
Heart and Healing:
1. When have you been encouraged or tempted to return to “old gods” in your life?
2. When is a time when you have left “old friends or old gods” and made a new start?
3. Have you ever tried to talk someone out of making a good or bad decision? What happened?
4. Have you ever made a right decision that someone else did not like, so they tried to make your life miserable for you? How did you stand strong during the difficult times?
5. When has another person joined you in making some new start choices in life?
6. What is a lesson, a promise, a command, or a warning that you needed to hear from this story?
Remember, God will always give you the freedom to choose. He does not force anyone.
Living in the Moment 
1. When have you been encouraged or tempted to return to “old gods” in your life?During times when it seems easier to give into ‘fear’ rather than do the work of keeping it at bay.2. When is a time when you have left “old friends or old gods” and made a new start?A few months after Olivia’s birth, before I knew fully that Post Partum Depression had hit me, a friend made a request of me that was not good for my health or that of my families. I knew that to help her would not be good for me or our family during that season and I had the difficult task of having to ‘say no’. That was really difficult to do, especially since the request was one I would have enjoyed, but the timing was just not right. That ‘no’ cost a friendship, unfortunately. I am not sure that it caused me to make a new start, but it was the right decision for us at the time.3. Have you ever tried to talk someone out of making a good or bad decision? What happened?I am not sure that I have tried to talk someone out of making a good or bad decision. I tend to lay out different scenarios and options they may have, but when it comes down to it, their choice is their choice.4. Have you ever made a right decision that someone else did not like, so they tried to make your life miserable for you? How did you stand strong during the difficult times?I mentioned this in question #2. The person didn’t try to make my life miserable, the friendship just ended. That hurt because my trying to reach out was met with silence. 5. When has another person joined you in making some new start choices in life?My husband has been a great support to me when I have had to make new health choices. He encourages me when it gets difficult and I just want to give up.6. What is a lesson, a promise, a command, or a warning that you needed to hear from this story?Following God’s plan will ultimately be met with blessings – even in the waiting. That’s the hard part – the trusting during the time of waiting and wondering.
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