CIR KBs

Christians in Recovery Knowledge Base article

Forgiveness of Yourself

You are not a failure. You are a Christian in recovery who failed. Satan wants you to forget what you have accomplished so far and to focus on a few moments of inappropriate behavior. Jesus wants you to focus on Him!

“I am in a Bible study and I feel I should give up this privelege.”

No way! That is Satan talking to you again. Stay in the Word.
Pray and commune with God. Ask for forgiveness and then accept His grace and mercy.

  • Ask the LORD to forgive and cleanse you of your error.
    Isaiah 1:18
    Come now, let us reason together,"
    says the LORD.
    "Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
    though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.

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Learn to Listen

Decades ago, soon after coming to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I wrote a poem about the journey that had brought me to that point. I titled it “There Comes a Knowing.” Though at the time I thought it applied only to the pathway to salvation, I have since come to understand that it is a lifetime journey, a “coming to know” the heart of the Father over and over again.

1 Samuel 3:7
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.

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Our Motivation for Freedom

Americans are, if nothing else, individualists. It’s difficult for us to understand the concept of “corporate” or “group” because our country was founded on the idea of the individual going forth and conquering to achieve his goals. Other cultures are not so individualistically minded, but work together over long periods for the corporate good. But ultimately every sinner (meaning every human being) struggles with the idea of stepping back and allowing someone else to achieve, to have, to succeed.

Father God deals with us both corporately and individually; Christ died for us both corporately (the elect) and individually (the sinner). And the Spirit is concerned with how we interact, individuals, with each other, the group.

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Serenity is on the Horizon

The following is dedicated to all of you who have worried in the past, to all of you who are presently worrying, and to those of you who will possibly be worrying in the future.

Everyone worries about something on a daily basis. No matter how small the problem may appear, constant worry can drain our lives of joy day after day. And there is not one of us who doesn’t desire to replace it with peace of mind. The question is, “How do we find serenity and integrate it into our lives?”

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Peace in Times of Trouble

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come.

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Peace in His Arms

As soon as I get into bed at night, I literally feel the arms of Jesus go around me and hold me close to His loving heart. When His arms of unconditional love go around me, I feel a peace, a joy, a happiness and a security that the world can’t give and the world can’t take away. He holds me all night long and when I get up in the morning, He is my constant companion. He never leaves me, not even for a minute and when I go to the store, He goes with me. There is no one like Jesus! No one loves us like Jesus loves us! He is a friend beyond compare and I love Him with all of my heart. My heart’s desire and the only reason I am living is to make Him happy.

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Does Your Pride Deceive You?

The pride of your heart has deceived you. Obadiah 1:3

We know that most portions of the Scriptures were written to specific groups of people, but we also know that God’s Word is timeless and His instructions applicable to our lives today.

I was struck with that reminder the other day when I read the words in Obadiah: “The pride of your heart has deceived you.” I nearly fell from my chair at the implications — not that I didn’t already know how pride can harden our hearts and steer us into sin, but I suddenly realized that EVERY TIME I have been deceived, it has been because of pride.

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Mental Illness Statistics in the USA

Mental Disorders in America Mood Disorders Major Depressive Disorder Dysthymic Disorder Bipolar Disorder Suicide Schizophrenia Anxiety Disorders Panic Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Social Phobia Agoraphobia Specific Phobia Eating Disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Autism Alzheimer’s Disease For More Information References Mental Disorders in America Mental disorders

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Christian A.A. Days and the Unchanging God

A.A. Founders’ Descriptions of God Before the 1939 Compromise

As Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Bill Wilson described it, a battle took place over the wording of Bill’s proposed Twelve Steps. It occurred as the Big Book manuscript was being readied for the printer. Four people were present: Bill Wilson, Bill’s partner Henry Parkhurst, John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo, and the secretary Ruth Hock.

Cofounder Bill and the other Cofounder Dr. Bob Smith had consistently and many many times described Almighty God in terms that plainly came from the Bible, the Bible that both men had studied as youngsters in Vermont, and the Bible that was taught to them in their Sunday schools, daily chapel, and the Vermont Congregational Churches of their youth.

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