The Struggle Is Real: Surviving the Painful Realities of Emotional Decisions

By Pastor Felix B. Duckworth Sr.

Inspired and birthed from author Felix B. Duckworth, Sr. ‘s irrational personal decisions and their unexpected outcomes, The Struggle is Real helps broken people rebuild the broken walls of their lives.

Duckworth tells that instead of allowing his destructive actions to redefine who he was or to permanently pervert his self-image, he seized the journey as a golden opportunity to rediscover himself, allowing God to re-mold and fashion him into whom he is meant to be. Through a variety of scriptures and personal testimony, Duckworth encourages you to thank God for the Holy Ghost as a compass to help you navigate life’s journey.

The Struggle is Real shows you how to utilize the fallout of your misguided decisions and reckless choices as building blocks to redesign and restructure your life and revamp your image. It helps you take stock of your life, get off the merry-go-round, slow your thoughts, and get your balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664227996

Pastor Felix B. Duckworth Sr.

Pastor Felix B. Duckworth, Sr. is a well-known pastor, teacher, motivational speaker, and visionary. Graduate of Andersonville Theological Seminary of Camilla, GA and is a Certified Pastoral Addiction Counselor through the National Association of Forensic Counselors. He is the author of spiritual leadership training manuals, church administration guidebooks, and articles.

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Copyright © 2021 Pastor Felix B. Duckworth, Sr.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-2797-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2798-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2799-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021905448

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/07/2021

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CONTENTS

Prayer of Preparation

Introduction

The Focal Point

Part 1: THE DISTRACTION

Chapter 1 Destructive Desires

Chapter 2 Lord, Deliver Me

Chapter 3 Breaking the Cycle of Deception

Part 2: THE DEPARTURE

Chapter 4 Hurricane ME

Chapter 5 Repairing and Rebuilding

Chapter 6 The Make-Over

Part 3: THE DELIVERANCE

Chapter 7 The RECOVERY Process

Chapter 8 Renewed and Restored

Chapter 9 Momentum

Final Thoughts

Something Good has Got to Come out of This

About the Author

I dedicate this book to all spiritual leaders that have fallen

under the weight of sensual indulgences and struggle

to clear the debris of their misguided decisions.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!

I pray that you find this book encouraging to confront the

demons of your past. Resolve to steer a new course for your

future with hope and endless possibilities that await you.

PRAYER OF PREPARATION

Dear Lord, my Heavenly Father, Grant me the understanding and knowledge of you and your word. Open my eyes to the conditions of my heart as I humble myself before you and ask you to forgive me of all my sins. Father, I ask that you open every door that I have shut off from your presence so that I may receive your word with rejoicing and understanding. I ask that you break the chains of delusion, denial, and despair. Deliver me from the snares they have laid for me and from the lures of evildoers. Remove the veil of blindness from my eyes. Help me, O God; guide me; strengthen me, and lead me in your will. Please Root out any lousy attitude, foolish thoughts, emotional rejection, or wrong motives that may start to formulate in my mind to hinder my growth. I reject the spirit of impossibility and claim open doors of restoration.

I command all spirits of hurt, rejection, fear, anger, wrath, sadness, depression, discouragement, grief, bitterness, and Unforgiveness to come out in the name of Jesus. I command all spirits of confusion, forgetfulness, mind control, mental illness, doublemindedness, fantasy, pain, pride, and self-persecution to come out of my mind in the name of Jesus. I pray that you break the curse of low self-esteem any stronghold that may weaken my walk and witness. From this moment forward, I forbid the enemy from taking root in my life. Father, I ask that you remove all the mildew, mold, decay, of corruption from our lives. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and supernatural power of understanding beyond imagination. In the name of Jesus

Amen

INTRODUCTION

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalms 34:17

GOD, please help me, save me, rescue me. Oh, how many times have we presented this appeal to the Lord? Life is full of loose gravel, slippery slopes, blind spots, and potholes. Truly life happens, and it happens to all of us. Ups and downs, twists and turns, success and failure, are all par for the course. Life happens in moments, and each moment is an episode. What you do now is your decision to make. The effects of your decisions will forever impact your life from now on.

STORMY THINKING

The difference between the truth and what people want to believe is an inner issue. The effect of Stormy thinking is the decreased ability to make good choices because of conflicted reasoning. Evidence of confused thinking is when your thoughts become difficult to honestly assess your actions and interrupts your ability to accept responsibility for those actions or consequences. Examining the scripture (Romans 7:15-24, KJV), indeed the Apostle Paul wrestled and struggled with the confused, discomforting state of cognitive dissonance. It is more than a battle of wits; it is a struggle between what you know to be right and wrong. It is a struggle when your thoughts and feelings are not consistent with your behavior. Being confused is one of the most sinister forms of emotional bondage.

Cognitive (mental, intellectual) conflict keeps you off-center, having robbed you of your ability to concentrate and focus, which are essential to appropriate decision making. You find yourself allied with the broad definition of a hypocrite – one that proclaims or pretends to have a set of beliefs, but their behaviors and actions do not agree or support their professed beliefs.

2 Corinthians 10:5-7 (KJV)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; ⁶ And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. ⁷ Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so, are we Christ’s.

THE DOMINO EFFECT

A chain reaction of unstoppable, collapsing events is known as the domino effect. One minute you are standing tall, supported by confidence, favor, and influence. The next, you find yourself drowning in disgrace and despair scorched and charred by a momentary lapse of discretion. Self-awareness of the triggers that led to a particular sequence of events may be personally painful but necessary to initiate the healing process. Nevertheless, do not allow cynical voices to dampen your hope or expectations for a rebound.

The joy of the moment pales