Hopeless…
Raped at seventeen and then again as a freshman in college, Shannon Deitz felt completely bypassed by love. Opposing the violent attacks on her body and struggling to quiet the pain through self-abuse, her feelings of worthlessness eventually became her reality and she could not fathom how anyone—most especially God—could love her. This only caused her to push deeper into her own torment.

Rock Bottom…
“I endured countless, inexcusable trials, walking further and further away from the embrace of Christ because I felt too unworthy to look back,” Deitz recalls in her book, Exposed: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him. Unable to fight the battle raging inside her any longer, she gave it all up; Deitz surrendered every aspect of her life to God. And, in that moment, every fear faded away and for the first time since childhood she experienced true peace.

Finding Hope…
With every breath you take, He is beside you, within you, and around you, says Deitz. No matter what happens to you, no matter how far you wander and push from God, He will be there. For the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deitz found hope, love and the self-worth that she had been in search of for such a long time, in the arms of the Father.

God’s Glory…
Deitz says she was so stuck in focusing on the “bad” stuff, she wouldn’t allow herself to see the good that was forming from it all. And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. “Once I started to look and see what He could do better with my life, that’s when I started to see the good going on around me,” reflects Deitz. “Sometimes you are just too close to the ‘action’ to see what God is doing in your life.”

Hard Times…
God never says you won’t go through hard times, but He guarantees He will be alongside you the entire time, and willing to help the second you ask. “Now I look back at that time in my life and I thank God for it. Not that I’m glad it was done to me, but for the strength and wisdom I received having lived through it,” says Deitz.

A True Hope…
In the midst of all the bad things happening to her, Deitz found Hope, but not just any Hope. She found the Hope in God and His healing and saving powers. She says talking is the best healing, along with prayer, and trusting God has more for you in this life. The Lord knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Have faith in His plan for you.

Forgive and Forget…
Deitz urges the people in her ministry to forgive themselves, and to forgive those who have harmed them. She urges her fellow Christians to forget the past and move into the future God has prepared for them, using forgiveness to help propel them forward. People often get hung up on forgiving themselves even more than others, but the key is to remember God has forgiven us; all we have to do is ask Him.

Exposed: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him…
Life can bring you down in so many different and horrible ways, but never lose the Hope you have in God. 

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