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Articles from Karla Downing | Selfgrowth.com
- Christian Relationship Help - How To Face Your Fears In Difficult Relationships - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2012 from Karla DowningHow can you face your fears in difficult relationships? By answering the questions offered in this Christian relationship help. It isn't unusual to have many fears in difficult relationships. When people are doing things that we find upsetting and are not making responsible choices, things can ...
Views: 1006 - Christian Relationship Help - Speaking The Truth Even When Others Disagree - by Submitted on Mar 16, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help because you struggle with speaking the truth in your relationships? Then, this biblical truth and tip will help you. It is especially problematic to communicate your perceptions, feelings, choices, needs, and beliefs to difficult people. One of the ...
Views: 1037 - Christian Relationship Help - What Would Jesus Do In Your Difficult Relationship? - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help? Do you wonder what Jesus would do in your difficult relationship? There is a good chance that you have some misconceptions about what Jesus would do. Many Christians have a picture of Jesus as a passive weakling who allowed himself to be abused ...
Views: 1470 - Christian Relationship Help: 5 Questions to Find Out If You Are In A Difficult Relationship - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to determine whether or not you are in a difficult relationship? Answer the following five questions to find out if your relationship with your child, parent, spouse, sibling, friend, co-worker, or other relative is difficult. 1. Do you spend ...
Views: 874 - Christian Relationship Help: Actions Matter More Than Words In Your Difficult Relationship - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will show you that actions matter more than words in your difficult relationship. Difficult relationships are with difficult people and difficult people tend to say one thing but do something else. It is confusing when someone's actions don't match the words, but ...
Views: 1528 - Christian Relationship Help: Answers to Questions About Dealing With Alcoholism - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help gives you answers to questions about dealing with alcoholism. There are many dilemmas you deal with when someone you care about that drinks too much. Proverbs 20:1 says, "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (NIV). It is ...
Views: 1211 - Christian Relationship Help: Causes of Anxiety in Relationships - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to understand the various causes of anxiety in relationships? Anxiety is mental or emotional distress or uneasiness because of an underlying fear. Relationships evoke deep emotional reactions-many of which we don't really identify fully. These ...
Views: 4595 - Christian Relationship Help: Do Christians Have Rights in Relationships? - by Submitted on May 23, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help? It is often said that Christians need to lay down their rights in relationships to please God. Let's look at what the Bible says about Christians having rights in relationships. The main teaching to support laying down your rights is the fact ...
Views: 1462 - Christian Relationship Help: Five Characteristics of a Narcissist - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will enable you to recognize five characteristics of a narcissist. Narcissism is difficult to deal with in relationships and recognizing it will enable you to respond differently to it. Jesus was constantly aware of what was in the heart of the people he dealt ...
Views: 2108 - Christian Relationship Help: Five Keys to Overcome Jealousy - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to overcome jealousy? Proverbs 27:4 says: "Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Jealousy is indeed a strong emotion that infects and affects a relationship. Jealousy can be felt toward anyone: friends, siblings, ...
Views: 10360 - Christian Relationship Help: Five Signs You Are Enabling Your Parents - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will give you five signs that you are your enabling parents. 2 Corinthians 12:14 says, "After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children" (NIV). You don't anticipate having to make difficult choices as an adult as ...
Views: 1569 - Christian Relationship Help: Five Unhealthy Characteristics of Dysfunctional Families - by Submitted on May 29, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will give you five unhealthy characteristics of dysfunctional families that were also present in families in the Old Testament. God created families to be a place of nurture, love, and companionship, but when sin entered the picture, families became a place where ...
Views: 2592 - Christian Relationship Help: Four Tips for Dealing With Difficult In-Laws - by Submitted on May 02, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help in dealing with your difficult in-laws? Are you wondering how God wants you to deal with them? God wants you to respond in a way that protects your marriage instead of damaging it. Here are four tips you can use to deal with difficult in laws that ...
Views: 2105 - Christian Relationship Help: Four Ways to Respond to Passive Aggressive Behavior - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will provide you with four ways to respond to passive aggressive behavior in the people you interact with. The closer a person is to you, the more the passive aggressive behavior will be problematic. Jesus warned us to be on guard against people who will attempt ...
Views: 7934 - Christian Relationship Help: Healthy and Unhealthy Triangulation in Dysfunctional Families - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2012 from Karla DowningTriangulation in dysfunctional families can be healthy and unhealthy. There are many ways you can "triangulate" which simply means to get involved in a relationship between two people in an attempt to fix it. Dysfunctional family dynamics give you many opportunities to get involved some of which ...
Views: 1865 - Christian Relationship Help: How Anxiety in Difficult Relationships Contributes to the Dysfunction - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2013 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to enable you to understand how anxiety in difficult relationships contributes to the dysfunction? Then this article will help you. Anxiety is a sense of disquiet or dis-ease that is experienced as mental or emotional distress. Anxiety isn't ...
Views: 1068 - Christian Relationship Help: How Core Wounds Trigger Overreactions In Relationships - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help that shows you how core wounds trigger overreactions in relationships? Childhood leaves us each with core wounds. These core wounds or core issues resurface repeatedly in relationships. They typically form the basis of overreactions to things that ...
Views: 1635 - Christian Relationship Help: How to Honor and Respect Parents Who Aren't Honorable or Respectable - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to guide you in how to honor and respect parents who aren't honorable or respectable? One of the Ten Commandments given by God is to honor your mother and father and it came with the promise that the Israelites would live long in their land (Exodus ...
Views: 2292 - Christian Relationship Help: How to Love in a Difficult Relationship - by Submitted on May 21, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to know how to love in a difficult relationship? As Christians, we are commanded to love our neighbors, families, friends, and enemies. Love in a healthy reciprocal relationship is hard enough, but love in difficult relationships is even harder. ...
Views: 1141 - Christian Relationship Help: Is God Punishing You For Your Bad Relationship Choices? - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are looking for Christian relationship help, this article will help you answer the question: Is God punishing you for your bad relationship choices? There are common Scriptural misunderstandings about relationships that result in Christians making unhealthy choices in relationships. These ...
Views: 1428 - Christian Relationship Help: Is Perfectionism Hurting Your Relationships? - by Submitted on Apr 29, 2012 from Karla DowningIs perfectionism hurting your relationships? If you know you struggle with perfectionism with yourself, there is a good chance that this character trait is also hurting the people around you. Perfectionism manifests itself in relationships in the following five ways: Discontentment with the ...
Views: 1185 - Christian Relationship Help: Jesus' Model for How to Deal With Difficult People - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are looking for Christian relationship help, you are probably dealing with difficult people and wondering how God would want you to respond to them. Jesus dealt with many difficult people. Here are three principles he put into practice: Know the person. Jesus always knew who he was ...
Views: 1218 - Christian Relationship Help: Recognizing Emotional Manipulation - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will enable you to recognize emotional manipulation. Dysfunctional people often use tactics to manipulate you to get what they want. These people are usually skilled at recognizing the weaknesses they can exploit. The only way to counter their ability to get to ...
Views: 5359 - Christian Relationship Help: Six Things Toxic In-Laws Do That Damage Your Marriage - by Submitted on May 04, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help regarding your in-laws? This article will identify six things toxic in-laws do and why each of them is undermining to the union God wants you to have in your marriage relationship. God intended you to leave your families and be united to each other ...
Views: 4433 - Christian Relationship Help: Six Toxic Christian Relationship Beliefs - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help? Regardless of the problems you are dealing with, it is important that you identify and change these six toxic Christian relationship beliefs in order to make healthy choices. 1. You believe it is selfish to put yourself before ...
Views: 1332 - Christian Relationship Help: Three Dangerous Dating Mistakes Christians Make - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to enable you to be wise in dating? Here are three dangerous dating mistakes Christians make that will keep you in a bad relationship: You believe God brought you together. If you believe that God brought you together, then it will be confusing ...
Views: 1417 - Christian Relationship Help: Understand How Fear Affects Your Difficult Relationships - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to enable you to understand how fear affects your difficult relationships? This article will provide you with some answers. If your loved one is acting in ways that are risking his/her health, safety, financial, spiritual or relational security, ...
Views: 983 - Christian Relationship Help: What Does It Mean to Suffer for Good in Relationships? - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help that will enable you to understand what it means to suffer for good in your relationships? Misunderstanding regarding this teaching leads to unhealthy choices in relationships. First Peter 3:17 says, "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer ...
Views: 1237 - Christian Relationship Help: What to Do With Five Common Alcoholic Dilemmas - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will tell you what to do with five common alcoholic dilemmas. When someone you care about drinks, you naturally want to make him/her stop. Drinking isn't good for the person or your relationship. People who care about a drinker can get too caught up in rescuing, ...
Views: 1146 - Christian Relationship Help: Why Relationships With Narcissists Are Difficult - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will enable you to understand why relationships with narcissists are difficult. Good relationships have balance. There is give and take that attempts to meet the needs of both people (Philippians 2:4). In contrast, relationships with narcissists focus around ...
Views: 1277 - Christian submission, submission in marriage, how do wives submit, is submission control, Christian - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help to answer the question: Does submission mean being controlled? Whenever a woman tells me she is struggling with submission in her marriage, I suspect a difficult marriage. The question is typically phrased as "Do I have to submit to my husband no ...
Views: 3922 - Christians and Boundaries: Five Causes of Weak Boundaries - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians need boundaries but often don't have them in their relationships. Here are five causes of weak boundaries: 1. You were raised in a dysfunctional home where boundaries weren't modeled. As a result, you don't know what healthy boundaries are and don't recognize that you need ...
Views: 812 - Christians and Boundaries: How To Teach Your Daughter Not to Tolerate Abuse - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you a Christian struggling with boundaries? If so, you may be concerned about what you are modeling to your daughter. As a parent of a daughter, you want her to be treated well by the men she will date and the man she will marry. This article will show you how to teach your daughter not to ...
Views: 2120 - Christians and Boundaries: Six Questions to Guide You in Setting Biblical Relationship Boundaries - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are struggling with being a Christian and having boundaries, then these questions will guide you in setting biblical relationship boundaries. One of the reasons boundaries are hard to figure out is because they are different for each person and circumstance. Difficult relationships have ...
Views: 1188 - Christians and Boundaries: What Would Jesus Do in Your Difficult Relationship? - by Submitted on May 21, 2012 from Karla DowningBoundaries in relationships aren't always easy to figure out due to the many complicated dynamics that can exist. Christians are concerned with making choices in relationships that follow biblical principles to please God. It is helpful to look at how Jesus demonstrated boundaries in his ...
Views: 1902 - Christians and Divorce - 5 Tips to Get Your Ex-Spouse Out of Your Head - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you a Christian going through a divorce? Are you struggling with getting your mind off your spouse? Do you find yourself thinking about your spouse obsessively trying to figure out what he/she is doing and thinking? Do you wonder what your spouse thinks about you? Do you want to make your ...
Views: 2836 - Christians And Divorce - Grieve The Loss Of The Good Stuff - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2012 from Karla DowningOne of the things Christians need to do when they divorce is to grieve the loss of the marriage. Whether you wanted the marriage to end or not, it wasn't all bad. Your ex-spouse has some good qualities. You have some good memories. You've lost the intact family and even if it wasn't perfect, it ...
Views: 997 - Christians And Divorce - How To Enjoy Being Alone - by Submitted on Mar 16, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians divorce as much as non-Christians. Regardless of whether or not you wanted your divorce, one of the most difficult things to deal with is being alone. Here are some things you can do to cope better with your "alone time." View this as an opportunity to develop a "new you." There ...
Views: 1009 - Christians and Divorce - How to Take Care of Yourself After Your Divorce - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians divorce just as much as non-Christians but often feel as if they have failed God and don't deserve a good future. That is not true. God understands that sin causes broken relationships. He hates divorce, but He loves you. Regardless of what happened in your marriage that led to the ...
Views: 890 - Christians and Divorce - Make Your Life Yours By Changing Your Environment - by Submitted on Mar 20, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians find divorce to be a painful experience even when they wanted the divorce. One of the most painful aspects is letting go of the old life and starting a new life. There are thousands of reminders of your life with your ex. You need to figure out how to make a new life for ...
Views: 1009 - Christians and Divorce - The Grief Process Applied to Divorce - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians divorce as much as non-Christians. Divorce is one of the most painful experiences people go through. It is like having gangrene and being told by the doctor that you have to cut off your arm. You don't want to, but you know you have no choice. You do what you have to do and yet the ...
Views: 960 - Christians and Divorce: Five Keys to Successful Dating After Divorce - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians get divorced as much as non-Christians. They also face similar issues with successful dating after divorce too except that some of the Christian stereotypes about marriage may not apply in second marriages. Here are five keys to successful dating after divorce that will help you find ...
Views: 8832 - Christians Surviving Divorce - 6 Things You Need to Know Now - by Submitted on Apr 03, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are a Christian surviving divorce, here are six things you need to do now. Divorce isn't easy for anyone, but you can make it easier for yourself by doing these six things. 1. Rest in the fact that God isn't against you. God hates divorce but not divorced people. God is full of ...
Views: 2897 - Dysfunctional Families: How to Take Care of Your Children in the Midst of The Dysfunction - Part One - by Submitted on May 24, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are in a dysfunctional marriage and have children, you have a dysfunctional family. This article is the first in a series to show you how to take care of your children in the midst of the dysfunction. Few things cause as much pain, anguish, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, and frustration as ...
Views: 1516 - Dysfunctional Family Christmas: 6 Tips for Making the Holidays Functional - by Submitted on Mar 30, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you dealing with a dysfunctional family Christmas? Use these 6 tips for making the holidays functional. Togetherness, love, family, tranquility, magic, unity, happiness, and gifts--We are told we should have all these things at Christmas and when we don't have them, we feel disappointed and ...
Views: 2798 - Dysfunctional Family Christmas: The Serenity Prayer For The Holidays - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian marriage help will enable you to take back your power to change your life whether your husband or wife changes or not. The problems in your marriage are real and the changes you want your spouse to make are most likely reasonable. The dilemma that you have is that you can't make ...
Views: 1185 - Father-Daughter Relationships Influence A Woman's View of God: Three Things Women Need - by Submitted on Apr 05, 2012 from Karla DowningThere are three things women need from their earthly father to have a healthy relationship with God. 1. Approval and affirmation of who she is. A woman longs to be accepted for who she is by her father. She needs his approval, affirmation, and adoration. She longs to be special and told she ...
Views: 3142 - Forgive Yourself: God Wants You to Let Go of Your Past and Live Your Life - by Submitted on May 16, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you struggling with forgiving yourself for things you have done and haven't done? Many people have more trouble forgiving themselves than other people. It can be especially hard when the consequences of your actions have hurt others and there is no way to remove them. King David gave us a ...
Views: 1394 - Forgiveness: Five Christian Misunderstandings About Forgiveness - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2012 from Karla DowningForgiveness is an important part of the teachings in the Christian faith. However, there are five common Christian misunderstandings about forgiveness that result in people misapplying it to their relationships. 1. Forgiveness means you must have a relationship with the person. Forgiveness ...
Views: 1860 - Four Christian Misbeliefs That Negatively Impact Your Self-Image - by Submitted on May 07, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you hold any of these four Christian misbeliefs, they will negatively impact your self-image. Beliefs underlie the way you view the world. The belief you hold about a thing determines what you think, how you feel, and how you act. Here are the four misbeliefs: Christians shouldn't have ...
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