Celebrate Recovery: Testimony - Carrie R.

[@John_B_3]

Our CR group shared this testimony tonight. First thank you God for your work in beautiful ways and thank you Carrie for sharing. All I’m going to say is Inwas new to CR a few months back and stopped going because I wasn’t fully surrendered the way God needed me. Tonight I made my first day back and this was shared. Made me tear up with the same hurt I’ve felt and for the joy you are now in. I heard it all. I even saved the phrase you said, God can turn your mess, into a message. Praise God. Thank you

[@MonicaClement-eg2fm]

Thanks for sharing your truth 🙏 you helped me sooooo much.

[@ChristsRighteousness4ever]

"He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory." - John 7:18 People think a testimony is about themselves, what they did, or what they suffered, or how their life was. The Bible does NOT teach this! Revelation 12:11 & 17, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." The testimony of JESUS CHRIST, not the testimony of yourself! And not the testimony of CR or any program, like without the program...No, no no! Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." - John 15:5 And Revelation 19:10, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Luke 8:38-39, speaking of the formerly demon possessed man: "Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him." But wait, didn't the Apostle Paul give a testimony? Yes, before the council and the authorities. In Acts 22:1-21 Paul spends 3 verses on his past and the rest glorifying Christ. In Acts 24 before Felix, he gives legal testimony that he worships the God of his father's, and of the resurrection. Acts 26, before Agrippa, verses 4 & 5 only speak of his past, the rest is how Jesus chose him, and again, this is a legal testimony, a defense. And to the Philippians, in 3:4-16, Paul uses 3 verses to describe his past, only to make a point about having confidence in the flesh, which if you read the full context, you will see it is Christ that must be Exalted, not self: "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing." My testimony? I can sum up my past in one sentence: I lived a life of sex, drugs, rock n roll, drunkenness & the occult, and all the sordid things that go along with it. That's it. I will boast of the power of Jesus Christ to forgive sin, to transform you into a new creature, to give you the new birth, and of the necessity of repentance, and abiding in Him, of sanctification, and holiness, and the true love of God, which does not affirm you in your sin, but calls you and delivers you out of your sin, HalleluYah! You are NOT your past! The world wants to make you believe once an alcoholic always an alcoholic, when alcoholic isn't even Biblical. It's called drunkenness, and it's called sin, and drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God! Same with addict. Stop saying you're an addict, or an alcoholic You are a son or daughter of God if so be you are in Christ, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Such WERE some of you, but now, if you are truly saved, you are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus our Lord, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." See, the testimony of God, not himself! As the scripture says, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. All true prophecy, forthtelling by anointed preaching, and foretelling of future events will point to Jesus, and Jesus is the source of all true prophecy by the Holy Ghost. Let us exalt Jesus, as John the Baptist proclaimed, "He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:30-36