Welcome! I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Veterans Health Administration. I also volunteer as the Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader at Live Oak Church in Hinesville GA. If you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, you know I’ve been writing a lot about Celebrate Recovery (CR). Why? Because I know people find freedom from hurts, habits and hang ups in CR, and I love sharing that news! CR is a Christ-centered 12-Step Program that is changing lives all over the world.
We're into the fourth month of 2024, and our recent CR lessons are life-changing! In March, two of our CR leaders taught Lessons 5 - Turn and Lesson 6 - Action. We covered Principle 3: "Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. “Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:5); and Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1).
CR taught me that turning my life over to Jesus was a once-in-a-lifetime commitment. And I made that conscious decision when I was 13; however, turning my will over to Him requires a daily recommitment. That’s not to say, it doesn’t "take" the first time; it means we make life choices every day based on the principles of Christ, and I desire to live an abundant life in Him. As CR emphasizes, we have to make a decision to walk in alignment with the Spirit of the LORD every day. I’m walking out this intention one day at a time with the frame of mind to follow Christ. Every decision and every choice to live fully is what I call a faith turn!
Are you ready to base every decision and every choice on pleasing God? Do you feel stuck in a cycle of self sabotage, sin, and trauma and you really don’t know what to do next? The first step in stopping the cycle is to choose to follow Jesus’ principles for living. Recognize your need to be saved by believing in and accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. If you and I could have lived “good enough” to save ourselves, there would have been no need for Jesus to die. All of us have sinned and fallen short, as written in Romans 3:23. Since nothing but the shedding of His blood could wash us and make us clean, all you and I have to do is believe. That’s what the CR Action lesson is all about: Believing that Jesus died on the cross and rose again and accepting God’s free forgiveness.
I invite you to make a faith turn today and choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This is the best decision of your life! You can pray right now where you are. God is waiting to hear from you. This is not a religion but a relationship with God. You should then start gathering with other believers to study the Word and grow your faith. Start making faith turns everyday.
If you have any questions, reach out. Let’s communicate. I’m here to encourage, inspire and motivate. I’m praying for you.
If you’re new, thank you for stopping in and checking out my blog. All others can be found at www.charlenestevensjenkins.com.
To learn more about CR, visit www.celebraterecovery.com and select Locator to find a group near you. Locals can join us Mondays, 7-9 pm at 296 Live Oak Church Road, Hinesville GA. We look forward to seeing you!