CASTIMONIA

Sexual Purity Support & Recovery Group

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Uzzah – God Violator

by applyingmybeliefs

1 Chron 13:9-10 – And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled.  And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.  ESV

 Uzzah was a Levite priest who was charged with bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.  In this story they were using a cart pulled by oxen, when God had instructed that priests they were supposed to carry the Ark on poles threaded through it.  Both David the king and the priests were being disobedient.

In the story, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah violated God by putting his hand out to steady the Ark.  The Ark was where God manifested His presence to the nation of Israel at that time, and it was as if Uzzah was trying to help God do the job of taking care of Himself when he touched the Ark.  Even if Uzzah had the best of intentions he still presumed that God couldn’t take care of the situation.  For his transgression, Uzzah was struck dead.

Isn’t that so like us in recovery?  We reach out to try to do in our lives, and worse than that, in the lives of those in our recovery fellowship, what God has reserved for Himself.  For example, we engage in conviction (of sin, righteous and judgment, see John 16:8-11) or trying to bring rest into someone’s life (Mt 11:28-30).  Fortunately, God doesn’t strike us down like He did poor Uzzah, but we can be sure that He does try to communicate that He does not appreciate us playing God in another person’s life.  He may do that directly through the Holy Spirit, or through His word, but most likely He does it through others around us who gently tell us something.  Stop trying to fix other people, stop doing God’s job!

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The Man in the Arena

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt

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Fight of Your Life “2015”

Fight of Your Life || October 24 || 8:30a-12:30p || FCC

This powerful 4 hour event is an effective and preventative learning experience to help men 16 & older gain ground in the battle against the dangers and temptations of our overly-sexualized culture. The Fight of Your Life event is for Men Only (16 and up). It is a powerful one day event, Saturday, October 24, 8:30a -12:30p @FCC. $20pp (sons 16-18yrs free).

Register:

https://fccsm.wufoo.com/forms/fight-of-your-life-2015/

Church Home:

http://friendswoodchurch.org/home/events

Contact Kevin Pate for more information.

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Cain – First Murderer

by applyingmybeliefs

Gen 4:6-7 – The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” ESV

The sad story of Cain has a significant impact for us in Christian recovery, if we allow it.  Cain was the first man ever born, he was the first son for Adam and Eve and he was the first murderer, when he killed his little brother Abel.  What we may not see in the story of Cain is that he was the first person recorded to have what gamblers call a “tell.”

A “tell” is a behavior that a person can be relied on to consistently do in certain stressed circumstances.  In poker it is an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception.  In our language a tell is a lie.

Cain’s tell is found in Gen 4:5 – Cain was very angry, and his face fell.  (ESV)  He got angry and he exhibited a fallen or downcast expression.  Right after this he tricked Abel into going with him to the fields, and murdered him.

One of the great deceptions or denials that an addict lives in is that they really believe that others cannot see when they are lying.  For all of us in recovery, Christian or not, we need to come to terms with the truth that we have tells.  We are using the plural here because it is likely that we have more than one.

Do you know what your tell or tells are?  Because others around you, those that know you well, can probably point them out.