CIR KBs

Christians in Recovery Knowledge Base article

I have had an abortion. Will God forgive me?

I have had an abortion. Will God forgive me?

God’s plan for your life always includes redemption. He longs to forgive you for all of your sins, including abortion. Sin separates you from God and needs to be confessed to Him. He will always forgive a repentant heart.

While God does forgive, abortion carries so much guilt that it is difficult to feel forgiven. It is an oppressive weight that Satan uses at every turn to discourage believers struggling under its burden. (See the question, “How can I have power over Satan?”) God offers peace, joy, and most of all, forgiveness. He doesn’t say, “You are forgiven if you feel forgiven.” He says, “You are forgiven.” It is something you have to believe and receive.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

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I trust in Jesus for my salvation, but why do I still struggle with sin?

I trust in Jesus for my salvation, but why do I still struggle with sin?

After receiving e-mails from thousands of people over the years, we’ve concluded that all believers have to struggle to maintain their faith. Some folks have to struggle more than others, but generally everyone has some level of difficulty.

It’s the people who have no guilt or realization of their eternal state who make the Christian walk seem all the more difficult. Show me a believer who says, “I never have to worry about backsliding,” and I will show you someone who is already deep into apostasy. We’re all running in a race, and God doesn’t care how many times we stumble. The only thing He cares about is who makes it to the finish line.

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Practicing the Art of Listening

Proverbs 18:13 NRSV
If one gives answer before hearing,
it is folly and shame.

I don’t know whether or not I’m a baby boomer, but I do know that I’ve grown up in the era of psychology. Everything is about learning how to relate to others, learning how to know one’s self, figuring out why we are dysfunctional.

One of the psychological “skills” that has been taught a lot is active listening. Wikipedia gives a great definition:

“When interacting, people often are not listening attentively to one another. They may be distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going to say next, (the latter case is particularly true in conflict situations or disagreements). Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others. It focuses attention on the speaker. Suspending one’s own frame of reference and suspending judgment are important in order to fully attend to the speaker.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_listening).

It’s interesting to me that the Bible was talking about active listening long before we even had psychologists. “If one gives answer before hearing . . .” Even if we hear the sounds that doesn’t mean that we are hearing the content. The reality is that if we are thinking about how to respond rather than truly listening, we are focusing (again) on ourselves rather than the other person. We are working on a “defense” for our own position, rather than really caring about how that other person feels (and thinks). We are concerned about protecting ourselves rather than trusting God to protect us.

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Are You Living the Jabez Experience?

He (Jabez) was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and extend my lands! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10, NLT


Before you impugn this request as being too “me” centered, consider the following. According to Scripture Jabez was a man described as honorable. And as to motive; a deeper look will reveal a very God-centered heart. Jabez clearly reveals that it has always been God’s desire to bless and prosper His children.

Let’s consider an expanded (amplified) version of his prayer. This is a look behind the words “bless me” to their shades of meaning. Jabez’ prayer actually provides a window into the true heart of God. And it reveals that our only true route to being a blessing for God is by embracing all of His blessings toward us. Consider this version as a revelation of some of the multitudinous ways God desires to Bless His Children Daily!

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How can I recognize a cult?

How can I recognize a cult?

A cult is very different from the occult, which is Satan worship. A cult is a religious sect that often consists of enough sprinkling of truth that it is accepted by many, but that never teaches the full Gospel. To determine whether a sect is a cult, you can ask several questions:

1. Whom do they say Jesus is? Do they teach that He is fully God and became man to save the world from sin? Or, do they teach that He was a good man, maybe even a prophet, and that we should all try to be like Him? When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, in Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

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How Much do you REALLY Trust the Lord?

Trust. What does it mean? According to www.Dictionary.com
it has 8 different meanings. We will only focus on those which apply to us as Christian believers.

trust noun.

1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
2. Custody; care.
3. Something committed into the care of another; charge.
4.
       a.The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one: violated a public trust.
       b.One in which confidence is placed.
5. Reliance on something in the future; hope.

verb. trust·ed, trust·ing, trusts verb. intr.

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Teeter Totter Thinking


When I was a kid, I loved the teeter totter. Because of my weight issues, however, I was acutely aware of how my weight differed from most kids. The teeter totter was the scale; whoever was the heavier had the strength to hold the other occupant stranded in mid- air for however long he/she desired.

And usually that person was me, much to my dismay. After all, I wanted to be the dainty princess of sugar and spice and everything nice; I didn’t want to be a bruiser or a brute.

I had a completely distorted and unhealthy perspective. And one incident, in particular, captured it.

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Get Back On Your Feet Because You Still Have To Eat

“Get Back On Your Feet Because You Still Have To Eat”

This little catchy phrase is a great motivator if you need to remind yourself why it is important to look for work and remember to keep your eye on the prize. Jesus never fails. Even when it seems like you are going to walk off into the abyss and you cannot see no way, God will make a way. You have to remember to ask yourself where is your faith in God.

Psalm 118:8 KJV
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

First things first when you start to look for work is to remember what you can do and what you are good at doing. Remember that recovery takes one day at a time and in the beginning you have to heal in all areas of your life. When it feels as if you will not be able to reach your goal it is time to slow down, take a deep breath and remember your God given strengths and talents.

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How can I overcome health-related discouragement?

How can I overcome health-related discouragement?

A physical disability is another avenue through which Satan can attack your mind. He can whisper thoughts of anger, confusion, disappointment, and worthlessness in your ear until you begin to claim those feelings as your own. But, the Lord has a different plan in mind for you. His plans is to work ALL things, in your life, together for His good purposes (Rom. 8:28).

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Breaking Free from Slavery

Slavery: according to www.dictionary.com slavery is described as:

1.The state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or household.
2. a.The practice of owning slaves.
b.A mode of production in which slaves constitute the principal work force.
3.The condition of being subject or addicted to a specified influence.
4.A condition of hard work and subjection: wage slavery.


And according to the thesaurus on the same site, these are some of the words that go along with slavery:

bullwork, captivity, chains, constraint, drudge, drudgery, enslavement, enthrallment, feudalism, grind, helotry, indenture, labor, menial labor, moil, peonage, restraint, serfdom, serfhood, servitude, subjection, subjugation, thrall, thralldom, toil, vassalage, work, bondage, committal, confinement, constraint, custody, durance, duress, enslavement, enthrallment, entombment, impoundment, imprisonment, incarceration, internment, jail, limbo, restraint, serfdom, servitude, subjection, thralldom, vassalage.

As you can see, slavery is not a very nice thing. The people of Israel knew all too well what slavery was when they were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. What started out as good, with Joseph being the 2nd in charge in Egypt, soon turned into something terrible and forceful when a bad pharaoh took over.

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