CIR KBs

Christians in Recovery Knowledge Base article

Faith as an Overcomer

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

One of the fruits of the new birth, is a faith which not only enables its possessor to overcome the sensual and sinful customs, and the carnal maxims and policies by which the profane world is regulated–but also the lying delusions and errors by which the professing world is fatally deceived.

The only thing which will or can “overcome the world” is a God-given–but self-exercised faith.

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Dealing with an Offensive Husband

Ask Angie: We have been married only 4 months and my husband engages in bash sessions with his family, friends, and grown boys about me and all the details of the marriage we are trying to build.  How can I feel safe, loved, and protected in this?  We are going to counseling…I just don’t think he is willing to see this behavior as abnormal.  I think it is just what his family does.  Negative and tearing us down at every turn.

Marriage Guidance: If any of your friends, family and grown boys have any sense they will surely see right through your husbands criticism. We should never allow what others say about us control our own behavior, even if it is from our loved ones. Many times it is our loved ones that will be the most disagreeable.

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Copying Articles & Linking to this Web Site

Copying and Linking

  1. It is illegal to reproduce entire articles from the Christians in Recovery website and put them on other websites. This entire web site is protected by international copyright laws.
  2. Articles may be placed in church bulletins, newsletters, etc. in non electronic format. All articles must be unaltered and accompanied by the proper documentation citing the the name of our organization: Christians in Recovery and the website URL: http://christians-in-recovery.org
  3. You may copy parts of CIR articles for use in emails as long as the emails do not end up on websites. Again, we do not want search engines to find Christians in Recovery articles anywhere except Christians in Recovery.

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How To Change Another Person

river runs through itWhy is it the people who need the most help… won’t take it? Norman Maclean (A River Runs Through It)

Who’s that person in your life who needs to change?

Perhaps a boss bullies and controls or fosters chaos through indecisiveness. Maybe a coworker refuses to communicate or a friend follows a self-destructive path. Possibly a child breaks your heart with obviously bad decisions or a spouse drifts silently away.

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Discord in Relationships

Proverbs 6:16-19 NRSV
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,
a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.

It’s interesting that Solomon begins with “there are six things . . . seven . . .” Matthew Henry notes, of this beginning:
“and the last of them (which, being the seventh, seems especially to be intended, because he says they are six, yea, seven) is part of his character, that he sows discord.”

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Do You Choose Anger or Trust?

Galatians 5:16-21 NRSV
Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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It’s All About Choices

Life… it’s all about choices. What to study, where to work, who to marry, what to buy, where to live, what to think, what to do…The list is endless of the possible choices we have to make each and every day of our lives.

The idea of choice is not new. Long before the world was every created, choices were already being made. God always has been. He has always existed (it’s a thought we will never comprehend this side of Heaven.) God, the Great I Am, is the “author” of choices. He’s made trillions of choices – likely even more. Perhaps His like of having choices is why He gave us the option of choosing, ourselves.

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Change Requires Choices

Proverbs 2:1-5 NRSV>
My child, if you accept my words
and treasure up my commandments within you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;

if you indeed cry out for insight,
and raise your voice for understanding;
if you seek it like silver,
and search for it as for hidden treasures —
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

I was having a discussion with a woman online one day. She was explaining that she had this (sinful) compulsion and had dealt with it over and over again. She wasn’t really distressed about it, just simply saying that this was who she was.

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