My Comfort
Circle Commitment
Today, as I confront my present struggles, I will
remember that God has not forgotten me. He has planned
a new beginning with a new purpose to make me a new person.
The past can no longer hurt me, the present is manageable,
and the future is bright and full of hope."For
I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.
"They are plans for good and not for disaster, to
give you a future and hope." Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
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Our Covenants
and their Biblical Comparisons
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| 1. |
We
confess that we are defenseless against our hurts, addictions,
and compulsive behavior and that our lives have become unmanageable.
I know that I am rotten through and
through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter
which way I turn, I can't make myself do right.
Romans 7:18 NLT |
| 2. |
We
have come to realize that our total restoration lies with God
- who is greater than we are.
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.
Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.
For apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 NLT |
| 3. |
We
commit to give our wills and our lives over to the care and
control of God.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust Him and He will help you.
Psalm 37:5 NLT
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what
happens to you.
I Peter 5:7 NLT |
| 4. |
Fearlessly
embark on a quest to do a personal moral inventory of ourselves.
Let us test and examine our ways. Let
us turn again in repentance to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts
and hands to God in heaven and say, "We have sinned and
rebelled."
Lamentations 3:40-42 NLT |
| 5. |
Acknowledge
and confess to God, to ourselves, and to another human being
the exact nature of our wrongs.
Confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer
of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
James 5:16 NLT |
| 6. |
We
are resolute about allowing God to remove all these defects
of character.
O what joy for those whose rebellion
is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for
those who record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are
lived in complete honesty!
Psalm 32:1-5 NLT |
| 7 |
Meekly
ask God to eliminate all our shortcomings or faults.
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to
forgive, and full of unfailing love for all who ask your aid.
Psalm 86:5 NLT
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that
offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23 & 24 NLT |
| 8. |
Personally
list all persons we have hurt and become willing to make restitution
to them all.
And forgive us our sins, just as we
have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
Matthew 6:12 NLT |
| 9. |
Make
personal contact for restitution purposes with these individuals
whenever possible, unless in doing so it would injure them or
others.
So if you are standing before the altar
in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly
remember that someone has something against you, leave your
sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that
person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
Matthew 5:23 & 24 NLT |
| 10. |
Admit
the need for ongoing personal inventory and when we have been
wrong, quickly acknowledge it.
If you think you are standing strong,
be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. I Corinthians
10:12 NLT
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| 11. |
Endeavor
through prayer and meditation to better our conscious contact
with God, praying for knowledge of His will for us and the power
to carry that out.
Draw close to God, and God will draw
close to you.
James 4:8a NLT |
| 12. |
Having
had a spiritual experience as the result of God's restoration
in our lives, we commit to carry this message to others, and
practice these covenants in all our dealings.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another
Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should
gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.
And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey
the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1 & 2 NLT |
