Tomorrow's Worship is gonna be off da CHAIN! So excited! Preaching "Facing the Wreckage of Our Past" as the 5th Step message in our series "Surgery of the Spirit:the Word & the 12 Steps". 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19104 Saturdays @ 5pm!

12/31/12 at 9:30pm! This gonna be an awesome way to bring in 2013! Don't miss it!

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  Looking for a place to bring in the new year? Come worship with us. Two Praise Teams, Two Dance Ministries and some Gospel Hip Hop and Two Awesome Words Straight from the Throne Room! Come bring in 2013 in the presence of the Lord!

Apostle Kevin Gissendanger, Senior Pastor
Judah House of Prayer

Rev. Dr. Chris Kimmenez, Senior Pastor
Recovery Christian Center

Judah House of Prayer

626 S 60th St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19143-2339

View Map · Get Directions

Christmas 2012 from Recovery Christian Center:

"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them." Luke 2:8-20 NLT

This is the real reason for the season. The King of Kings and The Lords of Lords left his Throne in heaven and came into the world born in a manger, wrapped in rags to a poor mother and stepfather so that we might be redeemed. The best way we can celebrate it is by showing ourselves as examples of "Peace on earth and goodwill towards men." We should not forget that the true Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Christ and the best way we can get in the spirit is by sharing the unconditional love He shows us.

To all of us RCC, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2012 Christmas Greetings from RCC!

This gonna be awesome!

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Calling all Gospel R&B, Hip Hop, Spoken Word and Christian Contemporary Artists, Spiritual Karaoke Singers, Dance Ministries, Mimes & Steppers!

Help us launch the Kensington Location of Recovery Christian Center!

Every Friday Night!!!
7pm!
Starting Friday February 15, 2013
@
SKA Coffee House
2416 Kensington Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125

A Totally Alternative Worship Experience!

For more info call Pastor Chris Kimmenez @ 267-582-5013 or email @ recoverychristiancenter@yahoo.com.

We pray for the families of the children and school staff lost in CT and for the children who survived and the first responders who witnessed the aftermath that they may all heal. God put ur loving arms around them and give them peace. I am completely at a loss for words, but as a father that has lost a child to violence I feel their pain. We must pull together as the Body of Christ to demonstrate His love to these people in so much pain.

Looking for an alternative place of worship? Looking for a church that is truly "come as you are?" Looking for a place where ur recovery is respected, celebrated and encouraged? Looking for a church that deals with the realities of urban li

fe rather than judge or ignore them? Been beat up by life and are looking for a place to heal? Or maybe you don't feel you fit in traditional church? Well this is the place where misfits FIT!

https://www.facebook.com/recoverychristiancenter

Looking for an alternative worship experience? Don't feel like you fit in traditional church? Looking for a place where you don't have to hide ur past? Looking for a place where ur recovery is respected, celebrated and encouraged? Well then Recovery Christian Center is for YOU!

We worship EVERY Saturday @ 5pm! Bible Study is EVERY Tuesday 7pm!

4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104!

Join us today for our message series, "Surgery of the Spirit: The Word and the 12 Steps".

https://www.facebook.com/recoverychristiancenter

So excited about worship today. You need to beat me to Recovery Christian Center today. We are looking forward to an awesome and life changing word from Pastor Anna Grant of Lombard Central Presbyterian Church. We are also welcoming our new Minister of Music, Minister Daniel Jefferson! Be there! 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19104. Dinner at 4pm, Service at 5pm.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 11/15/12 - Maintaining Humility

"When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brot

hers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you." Luke 14:7-14 NLT

It has been said that humility is as important to our ongoing recovery and our walk with Christ as food, water and oxygen are to us staying alive. If this is true then why do so many Christians and folks in recovery allow themselves to get big headed and over inflate their egos? We tend to go through life with an undeserved sense of entitlement because we finally got ourselves together. And don't give us a title, whether its spiritual, professional or academic because then we really think we know something. We begin to forget that everything we have and everything we are comes from God. We begin to ask others, "Don't you know who I am?"

This is dangerous for us. We have to remember where we came from and Who it is that brought us out and got us where we are today. Jesus, in the text, is reminding His disciples to be humble and let God exalt us. If we live an attitude of humility then we don't need to remind others how great we are because they will see the greatness of God in us and will want to be around us. After all no matter where we are in life we are all just servants of and stewards for Him. We don't need others to know who we are because we know Who's we are.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 11/13/12 - God's Wisdom and Not Mine's

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." Colossians 1:9-10

"I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance." Ephesians 1:16-18

"If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere." James 3:13-17

In other words, God's wisdom is always tempered with love, humility, peace, kindness, gentleness, selflessness, patience, mercy, and goodness. It cares more about people than being "right". It operates to draw people to Christ and not push them away. It operates in acceptance and not judgement and rejection. It celebrates you and is not jealous of you. It helps you and doesn't step over you.

Simply put, you can't claim God's spiritual wisdom if you can't use it to demonstrate His love.

Looking forward to Saturday's Worship at Recovery Christian Center. In addition to praying for the folk affected by Hurricane Sandy and raising an offering to benefit relief work we are also beginning a new sermon series called "The 12 Steps and the Word: Myths and Facts on Their Biblical Relationship". The first Word in the series is "Step 1:Finding Power in Powerlessness". Don't miss it. It will change your life! 4110 Haverford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Saturdays at 5pm.

As all of you know Hurricane Sandy has caused wide spread devastation all along the Easter Half of the United States. However none of the damage has been as wide spread and has had the level of impact as the entire state of NJ. As a pastor and a recovering person, and as a human being I feel a call from God to do something. So today I have used contacts at the NJ Office of Emergency Management to

find out what the need is and where to make the most impact. I know of all of you i can't be the only one. As spiritual people we can of course come together in prayer and second we can pool our resources to have a greater impact together than we could do by ourselves. Having said that I am inviting all of you to a time of gathering, prayer, ecumenical worship, and giving to completely benefit the disaster relief efforts in New Jersey. We are holding this on this Saturday, November 3 at our church, Recovery Christian Center, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Service will begin at 5pm. Lets come together as churches and community and have a greater impact than we could do as individuals or individual churches. For more info contact us at 267-582-5013 or recoverychristiancenter@yahoo.com

 

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Red Cross of South Eastern PA has asked us to help compile a list of volunteers who are willing to volunteer to help with disaster assessment teams in PA and NJ. Please email me if ur interested @ recoverychristiancenter@yahoo.com.

This is Going to be Life Changing!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 10/11/12 - Recovering From Loss

"God blesses those who mourn,for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4 NLT

One of the common misconceptions about Christians in Recovery is that we, because of our relationship with God, we shouldn't feel the loss as deeply or as intently. That's just not true. The text says that those who mourn are blessed and will be comforted. That should tell us that it is not only ok to feel but it is a sign of our deepening relationship with God that we can feel. In our old life many of us stuffed our emotions or used something outside our selves to numb them. Our recovery and our relationship with God isn't meant to be the new thing that numbs us. God instead wants to comfort us and heal us, but in order to be healed we first have to feel.

5 Days Of Grace Crusade!

This is Going to be life Changing!!!!!

Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Eastern District of PA presents:

5 Days of Grace Crusade!!!!

Oct 15-19th @ Recovery Christian Center
4110 Haverford Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19104

https://www.facebook.com/events/468351776538993/

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 10/4/12 - Diversity Is Our Strength

"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one bod

y. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad." 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 NLT

One of the problems in the Body of Christ and in recovery is a lack of unity based on a lack of acceptance for our diversity. The text tells us that we need each other and that all of our talents and gifts are important. None of us are more important than others. Just like every part of our human body is needed to function properly, every one of us that are part of the Body are necessary to its function. Instead of creating division surrounding our differences we ought to celebrate them. We need our different backgrounds and experiences everyone coming in to our fellowship needs to find someone they can relate to. It's time to stop tearing people up because they are different and begin to look at how we can work together as God intended. It's time to stop tearing down the folk that are still struggling and look for ways to help and care for them. It's time to stop looking negatively at a person's outside to justify our own prejudices and inadequacies. We all need to work together.

Join us this Friday Night @ 8pm! It's goin down! Recovery Christian Center is celebrating with Judah House of Prayer, 626 S. 60th Street, Philadelphia, PA, under the Apostle Kevin Gissanbanger, as a part of their Pastor's Appreciation Month. God gave me a Rhema Word! It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!!!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 10/01/12 - Loving Service

"After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,”

Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep." John 21:15-17

Love is an action word. Like any other relationship, we can say that we love someone but if we don't show them that we love them our words are empty. Its the same with our relationship with God. We demonstrate our love and gratitude to God for this new way of life by serving others. We show that we love God by loving others, by accepting others, by encouraging others the way that our relationship with God and our recovery has encouraged us. We show that we appreciate our freedom by helping someone else find theirs. See true love is selfless and contagious. You can't really experience love and acceptance and forgiveness and compassion from God and then refuse to give it to others. God's love is meant to be shared and the best way to share it is through serving His people.

***Looking for a different but exciting worship experience? Looking for a place where its truly "Come as you are?" Looking for a place of encouragement and love without judgement and condemnation? If ur in recovery are you looking for a place where ur recovery is respected, encouraged and celebrated? Then join us at the Recovery Christian Center, 4110 Haverford Ave, Philly PA 19104 Saturday's @ 5p

m!***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 9/21/12 - Don't Forget The Source!

"Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a m
an!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died. Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers." Acts 12:20-24 NLT

One of the reasons we need to be ever vigilant in our recovery and our relationship with God is that the same blessings and gifts granted to us through our new found freedom can also be used by the enemy to trick us up. In the beginning we are so grateful to be free but the danger of a lack of vigilance during this continued freedom is that we can be manipulated into forgetting where the Source of our freedom comes from. Instead of acknowledging and affirming that our recovery comes from our relationship with God we start to allow ourselves to think that we are that source. The we are clean under our own power. We begin to forget where we came from, how desperate and close to death we were, how we suffered and start to think that we are somehow responsible for our current spiritual and physical condition.

King Herod found himself in the same position. When his people began to worship Him, rather than correct them and give honor to God, he "fell in love with his own press releases" as the saying goes, and it destroyed him. Many of us can find ourselves in the same boat if we're not careful. We must acknowledge that everything that we have and everything that we are comes from God and we are NOT Him. We are merely stewards of what He has given us, and the best stewards know who there Master is!

‎Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 9/17/12 - I'm Still Standing

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9


One of the common misconceptions about getting clean and having a relationship with God is that life is going a bed of roses just because we are finally living right. Unfortunately that's just not true. In fact we will probably be under attack from the gate simply because our former master, whether you call him the disease, the enemy, the devil, etc., is rather jealous, and will do whatever he can to make you miserable if you let him just to spite God. 


Our hope is that no matter how hard he tries, God is much more powerful and loves us so much that He will never let the enemy win. No matter what comes down the pike we can say with confidence, "I'm still standing!" As long as we don't give in we might get messed with but not messed up. Dealing with challenges is a part of life, but now we know that with God with us so we are never alone. No matter how many mistakes we make or how many times we get knocked down, He is there to pick us up, heal our hurts and set us back on the right path, even when we created what has knocked us down.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 9/3/12 - Spiritual Accountability

"But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." Jude 1:20-23 NLT

One of the hardest things for folk in Christ and in recovery to do is to be accountable and to hold others accountable for our and their actions. However, the ability to own up when we are wrong and be transparent with our faults is key to strengthening our relationship with God, with ourselves and with others. All of our awareness of God and ourselves must be put into practice. We talk about our issues openly with our support system and we willingly look at the suggestions they give us because we know if God put them in our lives then He is going to work through them to help us.

We also have to be willing to loving pull others up as well. Most folk won't let someone walk off a cliff without trying to warn them and maybe if they ignore the warning try to stop them and even rescue them before they fall. We need to be willing to do the same thing for folk spiritually. We have a responsibility not to ignore someone God has placed in our life when we see them on a self destructive path. Sometimes folk will heed a simple verbal warning that the cliff is ahead and others may need to be snatched back from the edge of the abyss. Either way we try our best simply because God snatched us back.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/31/12 - Finding Courage Despite Opposition

"Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand agai

nst the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s." Acts 6:8-15 NLT

Sometimes we as Christians and people in recovery living in countries that grant freedom of religion forget what it was like for our forefathers in the early church. For the first 400 years of church history it was many times a death sentence to believe in Christ. Even now there are places in the world where being a Christian can be a fatal. It was the same for drug addicts seeking recovery in the United States in the 1950's and 1960's. It was illegal for two known addicts to be in each others company so they had to seek out secret 12 step meetings. In some countries now the solution to addiction is a bullet in the head, but folks want to be free so bad, want a relationship with Christ strongly, want a new way of life so much that they will risk death to be clean and free and justified.

In the text Stephen is just such a man. Stephen was one of the first 7 deacons and an evangelist, who was so grateful to be free of his bondage that he was willing to stand before the Jewish ruling council, called the Sanhedrin, and profess the his faith in Christ even though he knew it meant certain death. That is courage.Yet when we are led by the Spirit to talk to someone who is hurting or struggling about Christ and about recovery we hesitate mainly because we are afraid of the person's reaction. We allow fear of a little ridicule to keep us from making an impact in a person's life.

When we look at the pain and suffering in our communities its time for us to find a little of Stephen's courage and make a difference even if all we do is share our story with someone who is where we've been delivered from.

Welcome to RCC

** Enjoy what ur reading? Looking for a different worship experience? Visit us today and every Saturday at 5pm, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104**

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/25/12 - Step 3 - Putting Faith Into Action

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then yo

u won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."

Step 3: We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God through Jesus Christ. (12 Steps for Christian Recovery)

Most of us by the time we get to the 3rd Step have begun to see the evidence of how much are lives are changing and how many times we were actually under God's protection even while we were still lost. We see how the beginnings of our relationship with Him is dramatically altering our the path of our life, how we have moved from a course of destruction to a path to peace. However, we are still carrying some burdens of our old life that are holding us back.

The "strip off" reference in the text is actually Paul referring to the ancient Olympic Games that were held regularly during his lifetime. In Paul's time Gentile men wore long flowing robes that the competitors would strip off right before running their race. Taking off the robes kept them from tripping or being weighed down. Even today runners while runners wear track suits to keep their muscles warm prior to the race, they strip them off as they are getting ready to run. Whats on underneath is an outfit designed to hug the body and reduce wind drag.

As we prepare to make the decision to be committed to Christ and our recovery, as we get ready to run our race, we may find ourselves encumbered by the weight of our old life. It is time to shed that life in order to run the race of our new life. There will be enough challenges without extra weight. The text also tells us to keep focused on Jesus because He has already won the race and has moved most of the worst obstacles out of our way. If we just keep our eyes on Him and follow in His footsteps we will finish our race as well. When we are tempted to give up all we have to do is remember what He endured for us. For those of us in recovery the fact that we are no longer living in a living hell also becomes a motivation to keep going. Keep the focus and finish the race

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/24/12 - Step 7 - It's Only A Process If You're Progressing

"I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the p

ast and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made." Philippians 3:12-16 NLT

Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

One of the challenges in our walk with Christ and in our recovery is not get to a point where we are too comfortable and stop growing. Some of us hear that we will never be perfect so we no longer see the need to progress. A favorite saying in recovery is, "It's my process." The phrase is often used to justify why we still haven't grown in a particular area or why we are still acting out on a particular behavior. The problem is the definition of process requires progression. If we aren't getting better then its not a process. We're just stuck. Step 7 talks about removing our shortcomings, those things that cause us pain and keep us bound up, so that we can develop more of God's character.

In the scriptural text, the Apostle Paul tells us while we will never reach perfection in Christ, it is our responsibility to continue to get better, to continue to grow spiritually. Verse 14 in the King James Version reads, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." This means that regardless of the situation or our circumstances or how far we've come the race isn't over yet. There is still more work on ourselves to do. Lets embrace the work. Lets finish the race. Lets get better a day at a time. Lets let our character continue to be more like God's. Let's keep pressing.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/23/12 - We May Go Through But We WILL Get Through!

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT

One of the biggest lies we can tell new Christians and folk new to

recovery is, "Now that your saved and recovering or delivered, life will be perfect and you will never go through anything." The reality is that going through is just a part of life and being in recovery and a relationship with God doesn't exempt us. Sometimes it makes us more of a target because the enemy doesn't usually mess with anybody he's already got.

We still have to deal with death, illness, financial issues, tragedy, personal conflicts, etc. Sometimes our situations can seem overwhelming, but if we hold on to God's unchanging hand we will get through. Living life on life's terms means facing our situations not running from them. We just need to remember that we're not going through by ourselves. God is right there and He won't let us go. He didn't bring us this far to drop us off. Life will show up, and sometimes we will get knocked down, but God will never allow us to be knocked out!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/19/12 - Get Off the Fence

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to r

eceive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." James 1:5-8 NLT

When we first begin our recovery and a relationship with God many of us are on a fence with one side being all about this new way of life and the other about where we just came from. As much as we want to be "all in" our recovery and our relationship with Christ it's hard not to still be attracted to the life we lived for so long. Eventually most Christians grow out of this to the point that we only feel an occasional tug from the other life. We see it for what it truly is, an animalistic existence that is self destructive in nature and brought us mostly misery, where as our new life has brought us peace, freedom and joy and a life finally worth living.

However, some of us can't ever seem to get off the fence. We are either substituting our issues with something else or we can't completely get away from our original issue. In other words we got off the drugs but can't stay out the casino or maybe we don't drink anymore but we still going to bars. Whatever it is we just can't seem to shake the attraction to our old way of life so we stay on the fence unable to really grow spiritually and are still in pain without even realizing it.

God is offering us a way up and a way out, a way off that fence. He knows that as attractive as that life might be, the pain is slowly killing us. He wants us to stop "catching hell and calling it fun." All that is required is for us to completely surrender to Him. Even our best days on the other side or even on the fence can even begin to compare to being secure in this new way of life. In Christ there is real peace, real freedom, real joy, real love, real acceptance, and even real fun. Even when we encounter painful situations or make mistakes there is real comfort and real forgiveness. Maybe its time for us to stop living in an illusion and buy into whats real.

***So excited about service tonight. Come and be a part of a life changing experience! 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Saturdays at 5pm***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/18/12 - No Matter Who You Are (Or What You've Done) God Has A Devine Plan For Your Life

"In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has n

ot chosen any of these.” Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah." 1 Samuel 16:10-13 NLT

All of us come to Christ with a past. Sometimes it is even more so with folk in recovery. Even though God has forgiven all of us once we surrender to Him, many of us live like we are still in spiritually unworthy state that says my past is too bad to really be accepted by God. We can't let go of our own guilt and shame so we allow ourselves to think that God is ashamed of us as well. We get stuck in a "we're not worthy" mentality and we begin to believe that we are inferior other believers. We even are sometimes judged by others because they have a hard time believing that God could use us either.

Samuel found himself in similar situation when he was sent by God to anoint a new king over Israel after the current king had been repeatedly disobedient. What's not mentioned in the text is that Jesse's family was not a typical family to choose a king from. They were not related to the current king. They weren't in the military. They weren't in the king's court. They weren't government officials. They weren't wealthy or influential. They were simple shepherds. David was the last of Jesse's sons not the first. In those days it was the first born that was the inheritor. The rest either worked for their brother or struck out on their own. Here the Lord is asking Samuel to anoint the last son of a shepherd, who according to the world is a nobody, the next king of Israel. But as God reminds Him earlier in this chapter, "The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (verse 7)

That's exactly what God does when He looks at us. He doesn't look at our past or our imperfections or our education or our status in life. He doesn't care how much or how little we have. He only cares about our willingness to be in relationship with Him and to follow His Word. So its time to stop looking at ourselves as unworthy and see ourselves how God sees us. He sees us as His children made in His image and likeness who He wants to see become who He has called us to be. Stop selling yourself short and buy into God's plan for you.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/14/12 - Loving Correction

"And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, 'My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.' As you endure this divine discipline, remember that

God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong." Hebrews 12:5-13 NLT

One of the hardest things to admit about ourselves is that sometimes, in our imperfection, we don't always learn from our mistakes or that our self destructive behavior is sometimes still comfortable for us. We sometimes, even though we've been in relationship with God and in recovery for years, find ourselves stuck in a pattern of behavior that stunts our spiritual growth. When we get stuck like this God will sometimes, like any good Father, attempt to correct our behavior. We find ourselves being spiritually disciplined to get us back on track. Like any child discipline is not going to feel good, but it is necessary. We may be tempted to act like a child and tell God He is too harsh or think that He doesn't love us, when in fact He is doing it BECAUSE He loves us. Not disciplining us would mean He didn't care enough to try and stop us from destroying ourselves.

While we're being chastised we basically have two choices, we can endure it, try to learn the lesson behind it and correct the behavior or we can sulk, pout and be resentful and probably be more disobedient. The first choice will help us grow into better servants and into a deeper relationship with God while the second will probably have us cause ourselves more pain.

One of the things we need to understand about God is that He doesn't just discipline us because He's holy and hates sin, but because He know that everything that He has called sin is actually harmful to us. When we are honest with ourselves we will admit it's destructive as well. Most loving parents will tell you that disciplining a child hurts them more than it hurt than it hurts the child, and God is no different. Its not even about making the "punishment" fit the "crime" but about simply teaching the lesson. Some of us can simply be told not to do it again and we'll will never do it again. However, some of us a more hard headed and it requires something stronger to get our attention.

Finally, we can be confident that unlike our imperfect, natural, human parents, God is never unnecessarily harsh because He's having a bad day, or because He's frustrated at His job and takes it out on us. He never runs out of patience. He is never overwhelmed or too busy for us. He is never so angry at us that He forgets we are His child. He never gives up on us or stops loving us. He never stops giving us another chance. He never loses His temper and thinks we are a mistake, because He doesn't make mistakes. His discipline isn't used as tool to relieve His anger at us but to simply help us be better. God is love and sometimes that perfect love means He will help us face our imperfections and grow.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/7/12 - Step 9 - Taking Responsibility For Our Past

"Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? Son of man, give your people this message: The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. And suppose I tell some wicked people that they wil

l surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. For instance, they might give back a debtor’s security, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live." Ezekiel 33:10-16 NLT

Step 9: We made direct amends whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Many of us when we first come to Christ and into recovery not only come from pain and suffering, we have caused pain and suffering. In order to satisfy our habits we lied, stole, skipped out on debts, made false promises, etc.

While the step process has made us aware of it and usually had us asking God for forgiveness, the eighth and ninth step put a face on that harm. We didn't just steal, we stole from SOMEBODY. We lied too somebody. We abandoned somebody, etc.

We face our past and take responsibility for it because once we have faced it and owned the past, it can no longer hold us hostage. Part of taking responsibility for our past doesn't just mean asking God for forgiveness, we must also ask the people we've harmed for forgiveness as well. Only we don't just apologize, we attempt to make it right. If we stole a TV, we replace it. If we owe money, we pay it back. If we were bad parents then we allow God to make us the best parents we can be in the here and now. If we lied then tell the truth and we keep on telling the truth. Whatever it is we make it right. It is more than just an apology, we are giving evidence that God has changed our lives.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 8/4/12 - Commitment Is Not Supposed To Be Easy

"Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shiver

ed in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm." 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

Everybody who comes to Christ and into recovery as a new soul loves hearing how much better life is as a result of serving God. When everything is going are way it's easy to be committed. But what happens when the pink cloud wears off and we begin to face challenges. Can we be committed then? What happens when life shows up and we find ourselves in a state of uncomfortability even though we are no longer living the way we used to live. What happens when believe we're living to the best of our ability? When we've been the best person we know how to be and we still struggle? Can we be committed then?

The apostle Paul talks about this in the text. When most of look at his life we see the successes, the miracles performed, the souls saved and delivered, the closeness of his relationship with God, but we don't see the struggles. We don't see the hard times. We don't automatically see that wrapped up in the successes are the beatings, the imprisonments, the shipwrecks, the hard work, the long journeys, the false accusations, death threats and even the eventual execution all because of his commitment to his beliefs.

We do the same when we see other successful people. In our minds we see the success as if it just happened without seeing the sacrifices it took to achieve that success. The reality is commitment to anything requires sacrifice. The biggest lie we can tell new Christians and new recovering folk is that life is going to get rosey because you got clean and saved. We will go through stuff because it's a part of life and because the enemy or the "disease" will through every thing he can at you to keep you from the purpose God has for your life. Don't fall for the trap. Be committed to God and to your recovery. Be committed to the divine purpose for your life. Don't run at the first sign of trouble. Don't give up because God hasn't moved fast enough for you. Real commitment isn't supposed to be easy, but it is worth it.

***So Excited about worship tonight! Join us for an awesome alternative worship experience and for Holy Communion this afternoon at 5pm, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Come Expecting Change!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Devotion - 7/28/12 - Step 12 - Remember Where We Came From

"Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—“When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone." Titus 3:3-8 NLT

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these step, we tried to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs. (12 Steps For Christian Recovery)

There is no doubt that as a result of a relationship with Christ, the process of recovery, and some willingness to change and allow God to change us that we are vastly different than who we were when we first came to Christ. We have moved from self centeredness to Christ centeredness, from fear to faith, from self destruction to spiritual rebuilding, from denial to self awareness and God awareness, from isolation and loneliness to a relationship with Christ and fellowship with other believers. We are no longer dying spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. Instead we have found abundant life. We who mostly sadness and pain have found indescribable joy! We are grateful and in love with Jesus.

While we understand that God has forgiven us and forgotten our transgressions, we can never afford to forget where we came from or that it is Christ that has made this miraculous change in us. If we forget we can begin to think that we had a hand in it and that leads us to pride and self righteousness. In order to carry this Gospel Message we must remember that we still need it ourselves. We can't afford to be judgmental of others because we are still a work in process. We can't be intolerant or impatient with others still in bondage because, when we are honest with ourselves, we still have some things we need to be delivered from as well. The Word tells us love covers a multitude of sins, so we can't afford not to show the love God has shown us to everyone we encounter. The best message we can carry is the power of example.

We are pleased and excited to announce our membership in the Eastern District of PA of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Gospel-Baptist-Church-Fellowship/103112929729266?ref=stream

Looking for a place to beat the heat today? Join us at Recovery Christian Center, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 for a Life Changing Word! Service Starts at 5pm!

So ready to PREACH! Come get this Word! Tonight, 5pm at Recovery Christian Center, "Destiny Is Not A Spectator Sport!" It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE! 4110 Haverford Ave. Philly, PA.

***I apologize for not posting the daily meditations for a while. We had internet issues. Thank God for their resolution. Time to get back to imparting to God's people***

***Join us at RCC this week for an exciting and LIFE CHANGING new series "Impossible Made Possible" Saturday at 5pm, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 6/26/12 - Speak Life Not Death

"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring." James 3:2-12 NLT

The Apostle James was right in cautioning us about how much trouble our tongues get us into and how hard it control them. The other day i was visiting a church and then a recovery meeting and both times saw young women dragging their kids to the door cursing at them, yelling at them and calling them names only to go inside and share and testify as to how good God is and how blessed they are. As the text says, "blessing and cursing pouring out of the same mouth." My mother used to say, "You don't have to say everything you think." We as saved and delivered folk literally have the power to speak death or life into people. Think how much damage we could do to a soul seeking God and recovery if we speak unnecessarily harsh to them. Or how folks who know we are saved see us having a meltdown and say, "See look at them. I told you that God stuff don't work!"

Now think how much good we can do for someone who is struggling just by giving them some kind words. Ask a person who's having a bad day, "Can I pray with you? I just want to encourage you." What a difference we can make if we just remember that every person we come in contact with has been created in the image of God. Speaking life and love and encouragement into everyone we meet will have a lasting impression even on the folks who have hurt us. We must remember that when Jesus was being nailed to the cross, He didn't rage at them. He prayed for them. Can we afford to do any less?

You don't want to miss this service. Join us at RCC this Saturday at 5pm. Worshiping with us will be Pastor Michael Heath and Living Waters Ministries. Pastor Heath will bring a Rhema RIGHT NOW Word! Join us at 4110 Haverford Ave, Philadelphia, PA Saturday @ 5pm! You will be blessed!

***Even if you have never worshiped with Recovery Christian Center before you don't want to miss this new series beginning tonight "Spiritual Reconstruction and Renovation" It Will Change Your Life! 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 6/2/12 - A Life Transformed

"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him."

The man called Simon in the text is eventually the man Jesus calls Peter, which means rock, and eventually He will tell Peter he is the "rock on which I will build My Church" (Matthew 16:18) but at this point Simon isn't quite there yet. The man Jesus eventually names Peter is a professional fisherman, a large powerfully built man. He can be reckless, thoughtless, doubtful, a brawler and a bit of a thug. His ideas of what He thought Jesus should be caused Him to doubt Jesus's mission and methods on several occasions. His fear and low self esteem and sense of superiority sometimes caused him to miss the lessons Jesus was trying to teach Him. Even after salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit he would still doubt what God was telling him which led to a long an unnecessary feud with the Apostle Paul. Despite all of this he was still the rock on which the church was built. God still used him in an awesome way.

If God can transform Peter despite, and maybe because of his past, and use him in an awesome way even though he continued to make mistakes, then God can do the same for us. God uses imperfect people to carry out His perfect will. No matter how bad you think your past is or what you're struggling with in the present, God can transform you, and make you into the person He has called you to be.

Join us this Saturday @ 5pm for a the first in a series you won't want to miss! "Spiritual Renovation and Reconstruction" will change your life! Don't meet us there beat us there! 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

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Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 5/14/12 - Real Husbands

"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Ephesians 5:21-33 NLT

Since we've been talking about relationships it is appropriate to talk about the most misquoted and misrepresented relationship in the bible, that of the husband and wife. It seems that a lot of husbands remember that wives are to submit to their husbands but forget that husbands are supposed to love their wives like Christ loved the church. In other words if a husband expects submission, he is responsible to create an atmosphere that would make her willing to submit. That atmosphere includes love, respect, God centeredness, faith, trust,nurturing, and security. Very simply a man who can't provide those thing shouldn't get married and if he is married, he ought to understand why its hard for her to submit. The reality is just bringing ur check home on Friday, paying the bills and sitting on your throne waiting to be served isn't enough. Real husband are kings because they treat their wives like queens. He cares for her, respects her, is faithful to her, considers her opinions, prays with her and for her, and makes God and the love of God the center of their home. He doesn't make decisions without consulting God and her. Even if you are the king, the king has advisers and the queen should be the number one adviser. Lets be real,why wouldn't you want to consult the person that knows you and all your insecurities, issues, and strengths second only to God? We also need to understand that there is no biblical command for the wife to love her husband. It is the husband who is commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the church up to and including giving his life for her? Lastly submission is not blind obedience or servitude, its respect for a husbands biblical authority and his love and submission to God. If you aren't walking in His love and submission to His will, how can you expect that of her?

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - Loving Relationships With Others

"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.......
We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters." 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21 NLT

The text tells us that the most tangible evidence of a right relationship with God shows through in how we treat others. The proof that we have bought into God's unconditional love is us loving others unconditionally. How can we talk about the love of God without demonstrating that love? When the lost soul comes in proximity with Christ and recovery, it will very likely be the love he experiences from other believers that becomes the deciding factor in his surrender. He doesn't need judgement, or condemnation, or rejection. He needs love, acceptance and hope.

We also need to demonstrate that love in our relationships with other believers. Our job is to love and encourage one another, and even when we are lead to pull someone up, it should be done tactfully, patiently and with loving kindness. The person should see that we're correcting them because we care, not because we're being self righteous. We need to show the same forgiveness, love, compassion, mercy, grace and acceptance that Christ has shown us and continues to show us when we make mistakes. As a wise pastor once said, "Folk don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

***The Lord has led us to spend the next several posts focusing on relationships beginning with our most important relationship, the one we have with God***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 5/10/12 - God's Perfect Love

"And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love." 1 John 4:13-18 NLT

Like any relationship, our relationship with God is based in love and respect. The difference is God's love is perfect and ours can only begin to be perfect if we are in relationship with Him. Real love isn't possible unless its based in a spiritual connection with God. All we have to do is look at our relationship prior to coming to Christ and into recovery and see how this is true. Prior to a relationship with God, our relationships were mostly selfish and self serving but our relationship with God is not about us its about loving Him for Who He is.

When we were new to Christ and recovery our relationship with Him was probably more selfish either being motivated by what He could do for us or as the text says, "fear of judgement", but as we grow and our love becomes more Christ like we begin to see that our relationship with God changes to so hat we get to know God for Who He is and not what He can do. We also be come more secure in who we are in Him so that we are less consumed with the fear of His judgement.

As this relationship grows and His love grows in us our lives become more like Jesus and our ability to love becomes more more like God's we will no longer be ruled by anger, self centeredness and fear because those things can't abide in perfect love. We will see all of our relationships around us change as well because we've been changed by God's very real, perfect love.

***Tomorrow we will look at relationships with other believers***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 5/9/12 - Finding Real Joy

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9 NLT

Every saved Christian and person in recovery should have the attitude that we didn't get saved and come into recovery to be miserable. While we may be cautioned about unrealistic expectations, we should have an expectation of finding joy in no longer having to live the way we used to live. Unfortunately too many of us are caught up in the guilt and shame of our past and our belief that we are just unworthy of being anything else but miserable. We spend so much time trying to make up for a forgiven and forgotten past, and trying to pay God back for a freely given GIFT!

While we are not discounting the need to learn from our past or the need to make amends and change our behavior, this doesn't mean we have to live in a constant state of miserable penance trying to make up and apologize for no longer being who we used to be. God has called us out to stand for joyfully for Him, not to live cowering in the dark on our bellies. He intends for us to have joy and peace, not misery and worry. As long as we are practicing what we have learned and are doing our best to apply the Word of God and the principles of recovery to our lives, it is not only OK to enjoy our new lives, it is an expectation from God Himself!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 5/4/12 - You are what you say.

"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself." James 3:2-6 NLT

On the train the other day a woman was overheard telling her husband, "I would have rather you slapped me that say what you just said to me." Her feelings prove that sometimes we cause much more harm with words than actions. An article in Psychology Today from some years ago stated that it took 10 positive things to counteract one negative one. All we need to do is look at the recent cases of cyber bullying that led to the suicide of some teenagers to see the overwhelming harm our tongues can cause. Speech has the power to kill or heal, and as Christ centered recovering people it is our responsibility to speak with His love. No healing comes from bashing or abusing or hating on anyone. Besides we, who God has brought out of the hell on earth that we had made of our lives and delivered from the real Hell we deserved, cannot afford to judge anybody. Even when we feel convicted to correct someone, we need not to tear them out the frame in order to do it. Correction is supposed to be loving as well. We are pointing out a mistake, not trying to make them feel like failures. We are what say, so show the world we are love by treating others with His loving kindness.

RCC announces the Licensing Service our First Lady! For info click the link!

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Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 5/2/12 - The Gift of Grace and Mercy

"Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." Titus 3:3-7 NLT

Unfortunately one of the traps many recovering people can fall into is a sense of entitlement and the thinking that we are making this new way of life possible. We begin to think that we have earned our blessing and God us something because we are saved and in recovery. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We have forgotten that it God grace and mercy and Christ's sacrifice that all us to live this new life. Grace is simply receiving what we have not earned and mercy is not receiving what we truly earned. We must remember that what we truly earned was death because of how we were living before coming to Christ and into recovery. All of this is a gift that we could never possibly earn. Instead of a sense of entitlement we need to approach our new lives from humility due to the realization that if it hadn't been for God we would not be where we are.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 4/23/12 - Consuming Anger

"And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:19-20 NLT

Anger in itself is a normal human emotion. We all get angry. It's when we allow anger to dictate our actions that it becomes consuming and dangerous. It is OK to be angry when some hurts us but if we endeavor to hurt them back that is sin. Retaliation is not just wrong because of the harm to the other person, but because of the harm it causes our spirit and our natural selves as well. Any doctor or mental health professional will tell you the dangers prolonged anger. It can lead to high blood pressure, migraines, heart attacks and strokes, and that's just the physical consequences.

For recovering Christians the anger and resentments can keep us from growing in our recovery and even open the door to relapse. As the text says,"anger gives the devil a foothold." It's an emotion we can't afford to dwell in for long.

The passage from the Book of James also cautions us about listening before we speak. How many of us have found ourselves being angry over a miscommunication or a misunderstanding. We're not angry over what they said but what we thought they said. A lot of the time if we had just engaged our brain before we engaged our mouth we would have been OK but we caused harm because we didn't think and we didn't listen.

It's time pray for God's guidance in letting go of consuming anger and demonstrating more of His love.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 4/21/12 - Victim, Victimizer or Volunteer

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4

At some point in the process of recovery and in our relationship with Christ we will see evidence of our old patterns resurfacing, in particular those we haven't truly dealt with. Whether it's childhood abuse that is causing us to select abusive partners, abandonment issues that turn our friendships into "hostage ships" or even sexual abuse issues that cause unwanted promiscuity in the name of looking for love. Unfortunately its the deep dark issues that the enemy loves to set us up with and the main reason that he can use those issues is because we have not allowed to shine His healing light into those deep dark places. So instead of dealing with the issues we now move from victim to victimizer or to volunteer. A victim of abuse who abuses others has become the victimizer and the victim of child abuse who keeps getting into abusive relationships as an adult has become the volunteer. The only way to break the destructive patterns is to turn to God and allow Him to guide us to the heart of the pain and misery that is causing us destruction in the here and now. This is where prayer, meditation, step work, sponsorship and studying the Word and our other recovery literature come in. Now once we are aware of our issues and are in the process of allowing God to work on us, when the enemy does try to throw it our face we now have the tools to do as the text says and "count it as an opportunity for great joy" because we no longer have to fall for the same old trick. Our faith can grow, but in order for it grow as much as possible we have to allow God into even the darkest places in our lives and into the deepest holes in our heart.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 4/19/12 - Faith in the Gift

"Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." Romans 4:1-5 NLT

Some recovering folk have trouble with accepting the concept that salvation and recovery are freely given gifts and not earned. We, because of the depth of pain and suffering in our past, believe we are unworthy of God, or to be given anything. We think that we must somehow earn our recovery, salvation and our relationship with God. The problem with that thinking is that we're trying to earn something that can't be earned. If it could be earned there would have been no need for Christ's sacrifice.

It's the same with our recovery, if that could be earned then we wouldn't have needed God's help. The steps aren't a process of earning our recovery. They are an act of faith and deeper surrender to God. We can never earn what has been freely given to us. The life we live after the gift is one of serve because we are grateful for the gift not because we are trying to earn it. In fact if we are truly honest with ourselves if it were not for God's grace and mercy we would have been given what we had truly earned, emotional, mental, physical and spiritual death, and not the unmerited favor of salvation and recovery.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 4/16/12 - Humble Servants

"Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves." Luke 22:24-27 NLT

One of the dangers for people in recovery is a lack of humility. Unfortunately due to our self centered natures, as we more time away from whatever we're recovering from, we can be tempted to fall into the trap of believing we're living and maintaining our newly blessed lives by our selves. We can also fall into a sense of entitlement that because we are clean and saved we are somehow owed something from God. And don't let us into a position of leadership in this state because we will act like princes believing we should be served.

We really need to look to Christ's example. He came to serve and even as King of Kings and Lord of Lords He had humility. He served people and we need that same mentality. We need never forget where we came from or how much further we still need to go. Everything we have including our recovery is a gift from God. We need never forget that.