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Showing posts from November, 2018

ThanksLIVING

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By Rodney Holmstrom,  Celebrate Recovery National Director West, Fellowship NWA Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader ThanksLIVING “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   Philippians 4:6-7 ESV What are you thankful for today? You might be thinking,  “Isn’t thanksgiving over now?”  Yes, it is, but what I love about Celebrate Recovery is the understanding that gratitude and a heart of thankfulness is a central part of how we stay present with what God is doing. Gratitude keeps me in the here and now, focusing on and seeing what God is doing right now. Gratitude keeps me focused on the GIVER rather than just on the GIFTS. When we focus on Him, while giving thanks for the gifts, it helps us in those seasons where the things around us may be tough a

Thankful for FREEDOM!

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By Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Men's Encourager Coach,  11/21/2018 Those of you that know me, know I love to scream out, “FREEDOM!” whenever I get a chance.  The reason for this is that I experienced freedom from pornography and the resentment from my divorce by going through this Celebrate Recovery program.  However, that freedom only comes by closely attaching myself to Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ day, when a slave was given his freedom he was given the option to become a bond-slave.  What’s a bond-slave?  Well, it’s when a slave who has been freed, voluntarily decides to become a slave again to the very same master who freed him.  Isn’t that what we do?  I am freed from my hurts, habits, and hang-ups only when I am willing to consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control (Principle 3).  I love Beth Moore’s quote below which says that I can only have freedom from sin when I attach myself to Christ. 

Repeat after me: "I am a child of God"

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By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church NWA Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team 11/14/18 "I am a child of God." In my addiction, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and repeated those words often in a desperate attempt to convince myself it was true. But in my reflection, I could see nothing but doubt.  "How could I be a Christian and struggle with these things?"  "No way I could have Christ living in me and sin like this".  Even now as I approach two years free from my addiction I still find myself, at times,  looking in the mirror, repeating those words. I know that I know Christ is Lord and Savior.  Yet I still doubt. As born-again believers, it’s natural to doubt our salvation when we sin. We equate behavior as proof either that we are saved or we aren’t. But this makes us a slave to works. We end up in trying to prove thru our works that we are saved. After all, doesn’t James 2:26 say “ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so Fai

.. and the WINNER is..

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By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church NWA Celebrate Recovery Women's Encourager Coach 11/7/18 .. and the WINNER is..      YOU!   "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12:1-2  With God, ALL things are possible! The enemy will try to come after you, to stop you from glorying God, but if you persevere with prayer, daily quiet time with God, your network of accountability partners, and sponsor you can and WILL win this race!  Let's pray: Lord God, I pray for the healing hand of God over our entire CR body, that those who are ill will be well in your name, that those who are hurting wi