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RE: CS Flashbacks

followingHim — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:12:47 GMT

The Bible on tape is an excellent idea. And, of course, there are other, digital formats, so you have a wide choice of products and formats.

Consider getting a modern translation, and avoiding the King James. That's part of the old memory tapes you're dealing with. Consider the NIV or the RSV. (I strongly discourage you from paraphrases, "The Message" especially.) You'll be exposed to God's Word in a fresh way, and will also hear verses that were never incuded in the Lesson-Sermon!

RE: CS Flashbacks

zoarean — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:54:36 GMT

Grace,

Ditto, glad we helped. I read through the link Linda gave above, & you seemed a little despondent at the time. It's not my goal to be "preachy" on this board, all I can do is tell others what has helped me, & more often than not it was some revelation from Scripture. I fought & lost a lot of (most) spiritual battles for years after leaving CS, but that began to turn around about 12 years ago when someone gave me one of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten- the Bible on tape. Never was much of a student of Scripture before this, but I was very weary of years of failed attempts to put the past behind me; so I was ready to commit to listening to these tapes for the two hours a day I was commuting in my car- in the hope that it would help. That was a crucial decision in the battle for control of my mind & soul. I often felt spiritually weak after a day's work, but an hour later when I got home, I was "renewed" once more & my recall of Scripture was growing for those times when the old man would come against me.

So I think the answer is to get the full Word of God within you as much as possible through Christ centered praise music, preaching, & fellowship. But don't neglect the most straightforward way- reading & listening to it directly. I know you said you were doing these things now, but I just wanted to give you further assurance that you're on the right track.

zoarean

RE: CS Flashbacks

Linda — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:19:00 GMT

Glad we could be of help, Grace. Welcome back!

RE: CS Flashbacks

zoarean — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:37:10 GMT

The Bible teaches that we are a new creation in Christ when we put our trust in Him, but Romans 7 lets us know the old creation does not die easy. Linda applies the manner Paul gives us to deal with that old creation-

Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Many times I've examined my heart & found things there that I did not want there, & pleaded with God to simply take them away. But God instead showed me the wisdom of this verse, so when the lies of CS (& other sin of the old nature) speak to my mind, I can rebuke them with the truth of the new man within me. We are not justified in God's sight this way- that can only come through Christ's cross- but we are sanctified (transformed) this way. As much as I may want to, I can't change my heart directly, but God does enable me to transform it indirectly. That ability comes by the everyday conscious decision to affirm & therein embrace what Scripture, His Spirit, & His new creation tell my mind to believe. So He plants the necessary seed of the new man within my soul, & I become more & more transformed as I more fully embrace that wisdom.

Again, I cannot change the desires of my soul in direct fashion, but my mind can consciously & verbally confirm the witness of God within. This feeds & strengthens the new man while starving the old- hence the transformation.

zoarean

RE: CS Flashbacks

Linda — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:49:32 GMT

It's nice to hear from you Siobhan!

[quote]I still have flashbacks where I find myself reciting the SS of Being, or reminding myself to be grateful for something...[/quote]

Your problem is not uncommon, but it can be frustrating! We've discussed it here and there on the forums, especially in the "Recovery and Health Issues" threads (where I've obviously moved your post) and also, I think, in the "New to Forums" category. One place that comes to mind is the thread entitled [url=http://www.christianway.org/forums/Topic9826-13-1.aspx]want this off my mind!!![/url]

One thing I found helpful was to actively replace the "tapes" that played in my head with corrections. If I banged my finger and reactively thought, "there is no sensation in matter," then I stopped and said: "There IS sensation in matter -- that hurt!" If the scientific statement of being started to play in my head, I refuted it. I tried to never let a "tape" play without actively correcting its message. As time went on I also found it helpful to stop and appreciate the absurdity of what some of the "tapes" were saying. The absurd just doesn't have as much hold as the profound.

I hope that helps.