Thursday, October 30, 2008

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery

TWELVE STEPS AND THEIR BIBLICAL COMPARISONS

  1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. That our lives had become unmanageable.

    I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18)
  2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

    For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.

    Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

    Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. (Lamentations 3:40)
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.

    Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16a)
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

    Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

    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)
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

    Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)
  9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

    Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)
  10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

    So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12)
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.

    Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. (Colossians 3:16a)
  12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs.

    Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
- All scripture quoted from the New International Version.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

For Prayer Request...

To all who wants prayer. Please do not hesitate to send your prayer request on this blog. Just indicate the name of the person we are going to pray, age, address, cellphone or landline number and the problem or trial you or he/she is undergoing. thank you and GOD BLESS!
kepperzky
of the God Squad...

Monday, October 6, 2008

How to Deal with Your Anger

How to Deal with Your Anger by Rick Warren

If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don’t give the Devil a chance. Ephesians 4:26-27 (GNT)
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Conflict happens. There’s no avoiding it, and so there’s no avoiding anger in your life.
In fact, ignoring or denying your anger will simply make things worse. When conflict comes up, deal with it head on and quickly. Don’t let it fester. It’s a big mistake to think, “Let’s ignore it and hope it will go away.”
The Bible teaches, in Ephesians 4:26-27 (GNT), “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don't give the Devil a chance.”
Some people are surprised by this verse; they ask, “Is it ever right for a Christian to get angry?” Yes.
How do I know it’s all right for a Christian to get angry? Well, let me ask you this: Did Jesus ever get angry? Yes!
Did Jesus ever sin? No. Evidently there are times when anger is appropriate.
In Ephesians, we’re told, “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin.” This implies there is an anger that leads you into sin, but there’s also an anger that doesn’t lead you into sin. There’s a right way to get angry and there’s a wrong way to get angry.
How do you know the difference?
The wrong kind of anger is anger that is not resolved quickly. It’s becoming angry, and then just staying angry all day and then the next day and the next. The Phillips translation of this Ephesians verse says, “Never go to bed angry.”
That will keep a few of us up sometimes! If you said, “In our marriage, we’ll never go to bed angry,” you might resolve problems a little more quickly.
Anger that is not dealt with turns into resentment and then into bitterness. Bitterness is always sin. Resentment is always sin. Those emotions are always wrong.
The Bible says to deal with anger quickly. Don’t let it hang on. Resolve conflict as quickly as possible.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
Click HERE for a free subscription to The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. Missed out on one of the Daily Devotionals? Click here to view the online archives.

How to Have a Quiet Time (Part 1)

How to Have a Quiet Time (Part 1)
by Rick Warren

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

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Once you’re convinced that a daily quiet time is necessary for spiritual growth, how do you go about having one? You may be motivated to do it but may not know how.

Start with the proper attitudes
In God’s eyes, why you do something is far more important than what you do.

On one occasion God told Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). It is quite possible to do the right thing but with the wrong attitude.

This was Amaziah’s problem, for “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly” (2 Chronicles 25:2).

When you come to meet with God in a quiet time, you should have these proper attitudes:

•Expectancy – Come before God with anticipation and eagerness. Expect to have a good time of fellowship with him and receive a blessing from your time together. That was what David expected: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you” (Psalm 63:1).

•Reverence – Don’t rush into God’s presence, but prepare your heart by being still before him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Listen to the prophet Habakkuk: “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20; see also Psalm 89:7). Coming into the presence of the Lord is not like going to a football game or some other form of entertainment.

•Alertness – Get wide-awake first. Remember that you are meeting with the Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Redeemer of men. Be thoroughly rested and alert. The best preparation for a quiet time in the morning begins the night before. Get to bed early so you will be in good shape to meet God in the morning; he deserves your full attention.

•Willingness to obey – This attitude is crucial: you don’t come to your quiet time to choose what you will do or not do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything that God wants you to do. Jesus said, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). So come to meet the Lord having already chosen to do his will no matter what.

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This article was adapted from Dynamic Bible Study Methods (Chariot Victor Books) © Copyright 1989 by Rick Warren. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All Scripture references are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, and 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishing House. All rights reserved.

You may use this study guide for yourself or share it with friends, but please keep the copyright information within the document, and please don’t sell it.

© 2008 Purpose Driven