To And From Crack To Christ A Sinner In Recovery

As a child, I was brought up in church and taught Christian values. These valuable lessons would prove useful later in my life as I looked for a way out of a bad situation I was in due to bad decisions that I had made. Questioning my self-worth as a child, I turned away from the church trying to find a place to fit in. Not realizing the extent of how much I did not know at the age of twelve, I started to get lost in the world of drugs and alcohol. My addictions became stronger as I got older and experienced a life where not all things worked the way I hoped they would. While my addictions went from drinking beer and smoking marijuana to smoking crack and drinking anything available, a place to fit in became more of a place of isolation for me as I no longer felt comfortable being around most family members if I had something stronger than just a few beers. This was in most cases when I would get high with other addicts or alone because for me a drink was always better with crack. At least that was the lie I would tell myself, along with the lie that my problem wasn't that bad. Finally, after thirty years of addiction, on June 6, 2006, I hit my rock bottom, but I remembered what I had learned as a child about a power above all other powers. I prayed to the highest power, and God, my Father in heaven, made a way for me to get into a drug-and-alcohol treatment program. I went through the program and took what I needed from it with the understanding that words also have power. Because of my faith and what I had learned in church as a child, I refuse to put the words of man. Addicts suffer from a disease for which there's no cure above the word of God. You are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) and By his stripes you are healed (1 Peter 2:24). I do not believe that Jesus died for me and rose from the dead with power over all things except an addiction. I believe He came to conquer ALL sin so that all lost sinners who believed in Him and worked on building a personal relationship with Him could be recovered when He returned.

This book is for pastoral counselors, clergy, laypers-ons, and recovery group members wanting to reass-ess addiction recovery from a theological perspec-tive. It offers a wake-up call to the church to estab-lish recovery groups.

He should've killed me when he had the chance! When April Cofield Essix delivers those words in her motivational speeches, people sit up and take notice. Within the last year alone, well over two thousand people have heard that statement and it has changed their lives. A former crack addict, prostitute and prison inmate, Essix is an authority on the life of someone with a drug addiction. She speaks candidly about the destructive behavior that almost took her life and the one power on earth strong enough to help her live through it. From Crack to Christ: A Witness is the written testimony of her life, and, for readers, a straightforward voice that speaks from experience of a pandemic that has spread across the nation.

Born to church-going parents of worldly morals, Anthony Love grew up in Camden N.J during the 1960s. One of five siblings, he was introduced to the evils that life has to offer-living outside of the grace of God. Mr. Love spent sixteen years in the addiction of crack cocaine among other drugs and twenty-seven years locked in the vice of alcohol abuse. Read the destruction of what these substances have to offer and the power of God that lifted him out. This book will inspire anyone bound by alcohol or substance abuse or just separated from the life that God intended us to live.

A road to freedom for those struggling with addiction. You can be free! RICH: Recovery in Christ Heals is a biblical manual for those struggling with addiction(s) to set them free through the word of God and train them to show others how to be free. This manual does not compete with the clinical or secular programs, but my objective in writing this is to work alongside these programs toward reaching a common goal. What is addiction? Dictionary.com defines addiction as aEURoethe state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.aEUR This book has eight levels so that the person battling, will have a mindset of progression instead of regression. We believe in what John 8:36 says that who the Son (Jesus) sets free is free indeed. In these teachings, different Bible versions are referred for clearer understanding such as New International Version (NIV), King James Version (KJV), New King James Bible (NKJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), Amplified Bible (AMP), and the Message Bible (MSG).

The modern world is full of temptations that can lead people not only into unhappy lives but also into the throes of addiction. Navigating the world alone is not an easy task for any of us. Why not let The Freedom to Love be a most valued companion in overcoming an addiction to a sinful life? By living your life guided by true Christian morality and spiritual principles, you can break free from temptations and have the courage to experience real love. Why study the 12 Step recovery from a Christian context? Addicts and codependents are unable to choose real love without being grounded in solid moral values. Christianity offers a purposeful commitment to a way of life that heals human wounds and rectifies the effects of sin. It promotes character, growing in the measure that the person depends on truth and grace. Devote yourself to the study and development of Christ's love and you will find the strength to break free from addiction, codependency and sinful behaviors that preclude love.

Recovery and faith. This book is a guide to understanding how God's word can comfort and transform Christians who struggle with addiction--their own or someone else's. We take a strongly Lutheran law and gospel approach. The law points out our sin and our contribution to the problem. The gospel liberates us and provides us with undeserved comfort and rest. We urge you to be ruthless about rooting out sin from your heart. Dig with vigor. You may do so with confidence because God has already covered your sin through Christ Jesus. Thus, there is nothing to fear regardless of the depth of the decay and ugliness found in our hearts. In the safety of a small group of similarly emboldened Christian, you can confess what you find buried in your heart. We have found great relief in this kind of radical transparency. But more importantly, we have found rest in Jesus and his care. After confessing our sins, he is kind and removes our sin without a hint of anger or disgust.