Addiction - Christians in Recovery

Holiday Cheers

Psalms 119:117 KJV
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

It’s almost here! That time of year when drinking and eating just about anything and everything you can is the rule rather than the exception. The risk for relapse is extremely high, it’s holiday season. Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Christmas, Chinese New Year and other ritualistic celebrations that seem to justify drinking in excess and using drugs for some people are coming. The holiday season is the perfect time to jeopardize your program if you are not careful.

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If God is for Us, Who can be Against Us?

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But God raised Him from the dead. Acts 13:30

I have a lot of favorite verses in the Bible, but I suppose if I had to choose only one, it would be Acts 13:30: But God raised Him from the dead. Wow. How powerful is that?

Think about it. What can life throw at us that can’t be overcome by that statement of eternal truth?

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Character Defects – Steps 6 and 7

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Matthew 5:44 KJV
However, I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

Step 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Step 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

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Four Questions For Broken People

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The ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy. ~Martin Luther King

Have you ever thought you were too weak to help?

It’s easy to imagine someone who’s better qualified, tempting to believe that your personal failures render you useless. We all want to conceal our dirty laundry, but followers of Christ must remember that we’re called to serve where we are and to offer ourselves in that service. We’re all gifted so we can offer those gifts in service to others.

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Making the Change from Compliance to Surrender

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…the person who has achieved the positive frame of mind, has lost his tense, aggressive, demanding, conscience-ridden self, which feels isolated and at odds with world and has become a relaxed, natural and more realistic individual who can dwell in the world on a “live and let live basis”…surrender is an unconscious event, not willed[1]
The Act of Surrender in the Therapeutic Process by Harry M. Tiebout, M.D., The National Council of Alcoholism 1949

The Bible tells us in many different ways that we must surrender our old ways in our walk with God so we can have peace and happiness.

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“Satan’s Role in Addictions & Dysfunctional Behaviors” Workshop Transcript – Part 4

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Welcome to CIR’s Workshop: “Satan’s Role in Addictions and Dysfunctional Behaviors” This Workshop is presented by noted author Don Umphrey We strongly suggest you get a copy of his latest book Seeking Spiritual Clarity This will help you to get the most out of the workshop.

note: Members can discuss this workshop in the Message Boards HERE

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The Gospel – Key To Change

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by Tim Keller

The Greek term “gospel” (ev-angelion) distinguished the Christian message from that of other religions. An ‘ev-angel’ was news of a great historical event, such as a victory in war or the ascension of a new king, that changed the listeners’ condition and required a response from the listener.So the gospel is news of what God has done to reach us.It is not advice about what we must do to reach God. What is this news? God has entered the world in Jesus Christ to achieve a salvation that we could not achieve for ourselves which now:

1) converts and transforms individuals, forming them into a new humanity, and eventually

2) will renew the whole world and all creation.

This is the ‘good news’—the gospel. And it is good news in three important ways.

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Is Alcoholism Controlling Your Life?

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It happens without warning. It creeps into your life and all of a sudden, you’re hooked. At first you’re the life of the party, and later you’re the drunk of the party. When you’re young, twenties and thirties, your body can handle all the booze, no problem. But mentally it impairs the way you view and feel the world around you.

Most of the time, alcoholics don’t know that alcohol has taken hold of their life. This is called the denial stage. Alcoholics feel if they can get up and go to work everyday, even though secretly they have an excruciating headache, they don’t have a problem.

But what keeps the alcoholic going throughout the workday is in knowing that after work, they’ll have those highballs or beers, which will in fact; make them feel like their old self again.

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