CIR KBs

Christians in Recovery Knowledge Base article

The Reservoir of Christ in Me

The longer I walk with Jesus; my Elder Brother, Lord and Savior, the more I need strengthening from the inside out! “Out of our innermost being flows the river of life.” This flow of life is more than abundant and it is always and only experienced from the inside out. And it always has its origin and power in the reservoir of Christ in me! So why do I seem to persist in my veiled attempt at living from the outside in?

16I desire for you to realize what the Father has given you from His own limitless resources, so that you may be dynamically reinforced in your inner being by the Spirit of God.

17 This will impact your faith with capacity to fully grasp the reality of the indwelling Christ. You are rooted and founded in Love. Love is your invisible inner source just like the root system of a tree and the foundation of a building. (The dimension of your inner person exceeds any other measure that could possibly define you.)

18 This is your reservoir of super human strength which causes you as saints to collectively grasp (come to terms with, make one’s own) the limitless extent of His love in breadth, in length, in height (rank), and the extremities of its depths.

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Run, Don’t Walk to Your Forgiving Father

You know, we don’t really believe that the Bible is true. We say we do, but often we ignore things in it. We say, “Well, there must be another way” or “In this case, it won’t happen like this.” But the fact is, the Bible is unequivocally true. Everything it says will happen the way it says it. Period.

When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;
and with dishonor comes disgrace.Proverbs 18:3 NRSV

With wickedness comes contempt and with dishonor comes disgrace. In other words, we can’t hide our sin.

Be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 NRSV

King David was absolute ruler over all his kingdom. Not only that, but he could have any number of wives and be well within his rights… as long as the women he chose were available to marry him. In other words, he could have any woman except one who was already married. And, of course, human nature being what it is, he wanted a woman who was already married. We all know the story. He had an affair with her and she got pregnant. So, David arranged for her soldier husband to come home, hoping that the husband would have sex with his wife and never know that the baby she bore wasn’t his. Unfortunately for David, the husband was a more honorable man than his king and refused to enjoy his “vacation” while his men were still fighting and dying on the front lines. So David, in a frenzy not to have his sin found out, sent Uriah to the front lines to be killed in battle. And so he was.

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Why doesn’t God seem to answer my prayers?

Why doesn’t God seem to answer my prayers?

Often quoted is Psalm 37:4b, “and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This portion of the Scripture is often used to say that God will give you what you ask for. However, the first part of this verse-often unquoted-provides the true meaning behind it. Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will grant you the desires of your heart.”

If you are taking pleasure in the things of God, and you want for yourself no more and no less than God’s will for you, then you can be confident that He will grant you your desires. But, when you mix your own desires and self-made plans into your prayers, God may not answer the way that you thought you wanted Him to. James 4:3 says, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

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I Am a Soldier in Recovery

My story about alcohol, drugs, gambling, porn addiction, arrest and recovery.

I was raised in a very loving Christian home. I went to church 6 out of 7 days a week. There was never any history of abuse or addiction in my family. I have no one to blame but myself. I have backslidden severely over these past 3 decades.

You have the wonderful opportunity to become a member in Christians in Recovery (CIR) and therefore invest in the health and spiritual welfare not only of yourself but also of our United States Service men and women. Do not pass up this opportunity.

Chapels can be a great support and alternative for soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen for an hour or two a week while attending Catholic Mass or Protestant worship services. However, soldiers, sailors. Marines and airmen work in a culture that talks all week about how they are going to party on the weekends. When they go back to the barracks they are bombarded with the message that in order to fit in they need to drink.

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It’s My Life, Right?

It’s My Life, Right?

No, it’s not.

I love great preaching that spurs me to think differently and dig a little deeper. This weekend Pastor Jeff Lucas offered a new (to me) perspective on idolatry and the 2nd commandment.

You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:3-6

I knew this was about more than golden calves. I knew idols might disguise themselves as jobs or money or power or anything that becomes first priority.

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Authority: Abuse or Love?

The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men. 1 Kings 12:13-14


“What shall I do, Ms. Yvonne?” Melissa asked as we sat in my office.

Her husband had slapped their son repeatedly because he didn’t put toilet paper on the toilet seat in a public restroom before using it.

When she saw marks on her son’s cheeks, she questioned him. His father had warned him not to tell. He cried and finally told her what happened. She said he was a young child and made a mistake.

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Plant me by a river, Lord

Plant me by a river, Lord,
Pull me down, by the roots
To Truth,
Draw me up to the heavens, Lord,
Lift my arms, in Your Son
Suffuse.

Grant me gift of bark, Lord,
When rain, and wind
Beat strong,
As well as tender leaf, Lord,
Where wind, and bird
Play song.

Wash me in the spring, Lord,
Laughter, joy,
Renew,
When limbs grow heavy in fall, Lord,
I pray, may it be
With fruit.

In winter be my strength, Lord,
In trials, my Hope,
My shield,
And gather over time, Lord,
By Grace of Your gifts,
Thy yield.

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season…
Psalm 1:3

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I worry so much. What can I do to stop worrying?

I worry so much. What can I do to stop worrying?

Fear, worry, stress and anxiety are not from the Lord. If you feel these emotions, you are not fully trusting the Lord to handle your troubles. Every person struggles with these feelings when he should relinquish a problem into the Lord’s care. When relying on one’s own strength, fear and doubt arise naturally. But, when you truly cast your cares upon the Lord, you can rest easy in His comforting arms.

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Thank God for His Mercies

God has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Acts 14:17


We ofttimes forget that the common mercies of life are evidences of our Father’s loving thought and care for His children. There is no such thing as ‘chance’ in this world. God sends the rains, orders the seasons, and brings the harvests. In enjoying the gifts–we should not forget the Giver. In accepting and using the blessings–we should not fail to see the Hand which brings them to us! ~ J.R. Miller

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