Defining Codependency
Today's Scripture
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Romans 1:25 NAS
Thoughts for Today:
Codependent behavior has existed nearly as long as men and women have walked the earth. A codependent person is addicted to another person, creating an imbalanced relationship.
If another person's misbehavior is affecting your sense of well-being and you have become obsessed with controlling that person's behavior, you are in a codependent relationship.
Consider this …
Codependents take ownership of another person's problems, get their sense of well-being from managing the behavior of the dependent person, and end up being controlled by the person they are trying to help. By centering their lives on the person they are trying to help, they exchange the truth of God for a lie, worshipping and serving a created person rather than God the Creator.
Codependency is sinful because the person becomes mastered by a loved one's problem or becomes a loved one's master (playing God).
Think about whether you have seen any of these indications of codependency in your own life or anyone else's. If you see codependent traits in someone else, pray for their eyes to be opened. If you see them in your own life, ask God's forgiveness and his help. Recognize your helplessness and place your trust in him.
Prayer
Father, I recognize some of these codependency symptoms in my own life. I'm beginning to see that I'm not able to help my loved one this way. Please forgive me. I need you and want to place my trust in you and you alone. In Jesus' name . . .
These thoughts were drawn from …
Close—But Not Too Close by Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee. A complement to the Concerned Persons small group study, this booklet is written primarily for those who want to help someone close to them who is enslaved by the stronghold of a life-controlling issue. It is also designed to help someone who is suffering the consequences of a loved one's problem.
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