Cedar Point Recovery - Weekly Messages

Apart from God, humanity is driven towards unhealthy desires and lustful satisfaction. We covet what we see, pursue what brings satisfaction, and convince ourselves that we are gods in our own little world. This is spiritual darkness created by convincing deceptions from our enemy. It leads to us falling away from God and giving ourselves up to destruction.

Shame is a consequence of sin that has an effect on our self-identity. It represents a defeated or degraded state visible to those around us. Shame finds a host and begins to take over that person. It overwhelms and transforms… It exploits weaknesses and amplifies our worst traits… It follows us everywhere we go and makes attempts to swallow us whole… It is a slimy slippery shadow that we must face head on with the truth of the Gospel.

There are two great lies that plague us regarding relationships today. The first is that we don’t need anyone, that we can go at it alone. The second is that we don’t fit anywhere, others have their circles, but we are destined for solitude. The truth of the matter is that relationships are a necessary part of God’s call in our lives. That deep and meaningful friendships are available for each of us.

There is a great epidemic in culture right now and it’s centered around despair. We have lost sight of Jesus and have allowed the lies of the enemy to cast a shadow over our lives. In the shade of this deceit we have become misguided in our purpose and skewed in our expectations. We forget where our hope is found and fall into despair as our uncertainty of the future grows. Join us today as we begin to reposition ourselves into the light of truth and fight the shadows of the enemy.

“If at first you don’t succeed, then give up because it wasn’t for you.” As silly as that may seem when read in a sentence, it’s often the way we handle failures in our own lives. We have convinced ourselves that it is the death sentence of our dreams. Perhaps the only thing worse is having some level of success and then slipping backwards for a moment. We need to become confident in the truth that failure isn’t fatal and that God will still use us in its aftermath.

For those of us who put our trust in Christ later in life,or ran away from his call, there are bound to be reasons you feel unqualified for unworthy. But the gospel is so powerful that our transformation becomes a profound testimony to God’s goodness and grace.

We all develop gradually. Failure isn’t always a sign that we can’t cut it. Sometimes we’re trying to operate at a level that we’re not mature enough to handle. We can always outgrow those kinds of failings, provided we don’t give up. Join us as we look at John Mark’s story of desertion and redemption.

Burnout is only permanent if you allow it to be. Don’t listen to everything that you’re tempted to believe when you’re exhausted. Take time to care for yourself physically, spiritually, and emotionally-and then get back in the game. Join us tonight as we look at the story of Elijah and what we can learn from his breakdown.

Confessing our shortcomings and failure isn’t something that seems to come naturally or easy. Often when confronted with our sin, we double down, make excuses, or even try to hide. We have convinced ourselves that if we are found out, it will be the end of everything we have built and all that we love. When we have sinned, we must recognize it and repent. God’s forgiveness doesn’t save us from the consequences of our conduct, but if we’ve abandoned the behavior and are willing to accept the consequences, God will still use us.

Join us for a special Cedar Point Recovery message.