God is moving in CR

By Carl Kimbro, with Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team 7/31/19 Pride is a powerful tool of the devil and hinders a strong relationship with God. Pride keeps us from seeking help, makes us think we created our own success, keeps us from admitting we are wrong, and destroys lives and relationships. In my youth I struggled with low self-esteem. It was important to me to always be seen as smart and successful. I even had nicknames for myself that reflected this desire to be the best.   As I got older, I compensated by working harder than everyone else to be successful at work, church, or anywhere I could “show off” my strengths. I made decisions that reflected my desire for attention and fed my need to offset my low self-esteem. Philippians 2:3             “ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vein conceit . Rather, in humility value others above yourselves .” Several years ago, I ...

By LaDwana Whittenberg, Fellowship Bible Church TEAM Training Coach, Devotional Team 7/24/19 I had the opportunity this past weekend to hang out with several friends and do a little painting. The theme was umbrellas – “When life gets stormy God is our umbrella.” I found it very interesting how each person made the painting their own . How they viewed the theme of the umbrella through their own lens based on where they are in their season of life. As I was walking through and seeing all the different pictures, God reminded me that He made each of us unique , and we all have a story to share. We can be in the same place , see ing or and hea ring the same things, but we interpret things through our present or our past experiences. Some people are currently going through a storm. Some may have experienced God in the midst of the storm ; His peace and shelter . Seeking refuge,                         ...

By Carl Kimbro, with Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team 7/17/19 God had just worked through Moses to part the Red Sea and deliver the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians. The Israelites were new to trusting God. They had witnessed the ten plagues with which God punished the Egyptians. They had even just literally walked on dry ground through the middle of the Red Sea as it miraculously parted to both sides of them.  But when the first crisis after leaving Egypt hit, they panicked and blamed Moses for what they saw as certain death. The joy of freedom quickly turned to despair and a longing for the status quo. It was better they said to stay in their misery of slavery than to face failure and death in the desert. They quickly lost faith in the God who had delivered them. How often has this played out in our lives? We come to God and find freedom from our struggles. We leave our Egypt and slavery behind and head off for our new life. But the ...

By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers Celebrate Recovery Ministry TEAM Women's Encourager Coach 7/10/2019 I am fragile!  This seems like an obvious statement, but I realize this fact more and more as I continue to work on my recovery.  How many times have I tried to rely on my own power in order to achieve a goal? How many times do I overthink something because I want to “be sure” that I don’t make any mistakes?  TOO MANY TO COUNT!   I am so grateful for God’s unending grace! “ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose .” Philippians 2:13 Because of God’s grace, I see that where I am fragile and weak, HE is the one who is strong in me.  I also see that it’s okay if I don’t have it all together. I don’t have to be perfect .  I can take joy in being teachable and then honoring God by turning around and teaching others that it is okay to admit our great need for a savior. ...

By: Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church NWA, Celebrate Recovery, TEAM Training Coach 7/3/19 Brother number 1  was born a rebel.  His idea of freedom was to step across all boundaries and do whatever he desired.  He was always in trouble as a kid because he never obeyed.  As a teenager, he wanted to try everything.  He spent a lot of time in Juvenile Detention and as soon as he could move out on his own, he did.  It wasn’t long before he was incarcerated and even in prison, he made choices that ended with him sitting in an 8x5 dark solitary room. Brother number 2  always felt that his borders were there to protect him.  He obeyed his parents and as he grew and matured his boundaries were expanded.  He chose to work hard while in school and chose to participate in groups that seemingly put more restrictions on his life.  He attended church, volunteered for community service and worked part-time at the local grocery store sacking...