The Danger of Playing Hide and Seek: The Problem of Playing a Childhood Game in Your Daily Walk with God

By Judy Jacobs and Terri Leigh Cox

As children grow up learning how to play the game called hide and seek, we as adults tend to replicate this childhood game into our daily walk with God. We hide behind things that we think are protecting us, keeping us from further rejection and pain; the fear that we have dealt with for years seems to keep crippling us. What we dont understand is that the longer we continue to play this game of hide and seek, we are hindering ourselves from the destiny that God has ordained for our lives since the moment we took our first breath!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449737092

Judy Jacobs

Terri Cox is the founder of Hide and Seek Ministries based out of Cleveland, Tennessee, where she now resides and works as a licensed practical nurse. She has published several poems in previous, years including “My Guardian Angel,” dedicated to her mother. Terri has had a love for writing since the age of ten, and that love has increased over the years, leading to this publication of her first inspirational book. It is her heart’s desire to see people from all walks of life come to know Jesus in a more real and personal way, a desire she addresses by sharing her own personal trials, and by sharing Christ’s love for all.

Book preview

The

Danger of Playing

Hide and Seek

The Problem of Playing a Childhood Game in Your Daily Walk with God

Terri Leigh Cox

With a Foreword by

Judy Jacobs

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Copyright © 2012 Terri Leigh Cox

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-3710-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3711-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3709-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012900665

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/16/2012

CONTENTS

Dedication

Foreword

Endorsements

Introduction

Learned Behaviors

Choosing Our Hiding Places

Words—Spiritual Containers

Defense Mechanisms and Fortified Walls

The Sting of Self-Sabotage

To Fear or Not to Fear,

That Is the Question!

Changing Your Perspective

Coming Out of

Hiding Takes Courage

Whatever it Takes

Ready or Not, Here I Come

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

The Danger of Playing

Hide-and-Seek

"I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—

but even in darkness I cannot hide from You!"

Psalm 139:11-12

New Living Translation

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my spiritual mentors that God has placed in my life for such a time as this—Kathy Hagerman, Pastor Judy Jacobs-Tuttle, and Dr. Angela St. John.

I gave my heart to the Lord at the age of thirteen, and I did not even know what the term mentor meant, much less what it meant to have one in your life. On that day when I gave my heart to the Lord, I began a journey that would lead me to where I am today. God has brought these three strong women of the faith into my life to lead, guide, and teach me the things that He desires for me to know about the ministry, about His heart, about my destiny, and about myself.

Kathy Hagerman: When our paths crossed, I don’t think either one of us realized where that moment would lead us. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. We have been through so much together, and that is the key—we’ve gone through it … and made it to the mountaintop! You have allowed me to walk beside you in ministry, and you gave me wings to fly. You were the first person to truly hear the song in my heart and spirit, and when life got too hard and I wanted to quit, you sang my song back to me when I forgot the words. You’ve always pointed me to Jesus, no matter what I was facing, and encouraged me to keep pressing on, because in the end it will be worth it all. You have truly been my other mother. I love you—just because!

Pastor Judy Jacobs Tuttle: Three years ago, I stepped foot on the campus of the International Institute of Mentoring for the first time, and my life has never been the same since that day. So first, I must say thank you for your obedience to the call of God on your life. Without your obedience, my life would not be, my life would not be headed in the direction that it is today. God has used you to help bring me out of my hiding places and into new places of freedom. Because of your love, ongoing encouragement, support, and never-ending prayers, I am daring to dream again, and I am seeing what I am speaking start to unfold right before my very eyes. Through the darkest times of this past year, you have been there—and from the depths of my heart, I say thank you. I am so glad that we are on this journey together. I am honored to call you my pastor, my mentor, and my friend. Love, love, love you.

Dr. Angela St. John: Where do I begin? Well, we all know that it all truly began with a hammer and a stone. Hard to believe that we have only known each other for three years, because it seems like we have known each other forever. At times you can speak to me exactly what I am thinking before I can even say it. You can finish my sentences, and sometimes without me saying a thing, you know when I just need to hear a familiar voice. In those moments you pick up the phone or send a text if you are pressed for time. The words that God gives to you are so on-time and right on target for that moment, because He never misses; but He has to have a willing heart that will allow Him to use them to be His mouthpiece. God has used you to not only bring spiritual healing to my