Christian Recovery

Christians recovering from Carnality

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Celebrate Recovery

Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1)

“Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor.”

1 We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.Romans 7:18 

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the

courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship

as the pathway to peace; taking as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as

I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to

Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely

happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

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you can't save your ass and save face at the same time

In secular recovery I once heard the expression" you can't save your ass and save face at the same time"

 At first brush this expression clearly says that pride can get in the way of  recovery. It is very true that if pride prevents you from exposing your using and/or your rationalization of that use or other wrong thinking then you're actually hurting yourself.

I've seen this play out in the rooms of secular recovery, and today I wanted to point out that even in the atmosphere of confession. An atmosphere of confession by the way is one of the hallmarks that made the church atEphesusso profound that it changed the social economical climate of the city. They were confessing their sins and burning their sinful literature. See acts 18 and 19.

So in my own observations I'm now encountering someone who doesn't want to even admit they have a problem, looks like they wants to white knuckle it and thinks they are going to get “this” under control when in actuality it's controlling them.

However at the same time at a Christian-based recovery meeting I am also seeing confession become devoid of its power: week after week the same people confess the same sins and nothing is changing in their life.

So what are they missing? Why do some people fear confession and the shame it may bring,  even if that shame ultimately lead to true freedom. While at the same time someone who has confessed now continues to confess with no real change in their life.

 Certainly not my place to tell them about their own salvation but it is my concern that the commonality in these two situations is that their conversions not complete. Some part of the gospel  is missing that there conversion/salvation was one of repentance or merely a plea for help and not a true conversion unto Christ with a regenerate heart.

The biggest clue we have that there may be something wrong with our salvation/walk with the Lord is reoccurring doubt about God about His sending Jesus and about our own salvation or the other warning sign is a sense that if I'm saved and I'm going to heaven anyway then what happens in my life here doesn't matter and my sin here doesn't matter.

conversely someone with a truly regenerative heart obeys all the laws because they have been accepted by God despite themselves. A regenerate hart certainly wouldn't let pride or ease of confession gets in the way of them developing into something more like Christ by dying to the sins by denying themselves  (Mathew 16:24)

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update

I am sorry I have not posted in a while. I am hopeful to find other Christians in recovery to help collaborate on this blog. I haven't written in a while because I just gone through my first surgery. I say first surgery because I have had an unhealthy fear of surgery my whole life. I endured excruciating pain to prevent and avoid surgery. Finally after opening my eyes I received surgery on my right wrist last Monday. Surgery went well and everything is looking good so I should be back to regular updates next Monday. My intended schedule is one post a week. Once I have collaborators I hope to make that everyday.

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keep it fresh

“Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time. If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases.” Basic Text, p. 84

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Acceptance

“In our recovery, we find it essential to accept reality. Once we can do this, we do not find it necessary to use drugs in an attempt to change our perceptions.” Basic Text, p. 90

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Step One

Step One: We admitted that we are powerless over our “problems” – that our lives had become unmanageable.

Part one:  bible reading Genesis 16:1-15   (expanded story read genesis 14-17)

Sometimes we are powerless because of our stations in life. We may be in a situation where other people have power over us. We may feel trapped by the demands of others and that there’s no way to please them all.  It’s a double bind:  To please one is to disappoint another. Sometimes when we feel stuck and frustrated with our relationships, we look for a measure of control by escaping through our addictive behaviors.

Hagar is a picture of powerlessness. She had no rights. As a girl, she was a slave to Sarai and Abram. When her owners were upset that they could not bear children, Hagar was given to Abram as a surrogate.  When She did become pregnant, as they had wanted,   Sarai was so jealous that she beat Hagar, and Hagar ran away. All Alone out in the wilderness, she was met by an angel who gave her a message: “return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”

When we are caught in no-win situations, it’s tempting to run away though our addictive/compulsive escape hatches. At times like these God is there, and he is listening to our woes. We need to learn to express our pain to God instead of just trying to escape it. He hears our cries and is willing to give us hope for the future.

This is an paraphrased excerpt from “The Life Recovery Bible” NLT

ISBN-10: 1-4143-1626-7

please send thoughts ands comments to [email protected]

[teacherforayear]

Then Jesus said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Luke 12:15 (via teacherforayear)

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A 3rd step prayer

  A 3rd step prayer

  “God, I offer myself to Thee —to build with me and to do with me as Thou will Please Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties so that victory over them may bear witness to those i would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy will always!”

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Romans 7:18-20 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform that is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; But the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Two indicators of addiction are the gradual loss of identity and the progressive violation of one's own values in the practice of the addiction. The gospel describes these addiction symptoms in the following terms: It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" (verse 20) In assessing the presence of addictions and codependencies, we frequently ask the following simple diagnostic question: Is the dog wagging the tail, or is the tail wagging the dog? For example, the conscientious workaholic may have strong values concerning the primacy of home and family life. However, as the workaholism progresses, the workaholic does violence to those values by diverting increasing amounts of time and energy into work pursuits. The tail is now wagging the dog. A universal warning sign of all addictions is the frightening recognition that I have begun to "do what I will not to do." This recognition is the beginning of the awareness of powerlessness and can be used by God as the beginning of the end of the addiction.

http://christians-in-recovery.org/BibleStudies_12Steps_Step1-Thor

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C.L.E.A.N. T.I.M.E.

From time to time we hear acronyms made into relevant ideas in the rooms of recovery.  R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P. is one of my favorites: Really Exciting Love Affair Turns Into Outrageous Nightmare, Sobriety Hangs In Peril. This was timely advice for me when I heard it. Relationships can be dangerous in early recovery. Not rebounding after my separation in my first year of recovery was good course of action.  

However, today I am going to focus on C.L.E.A.N. T.I.M.E.. I have always heard these two acronyms separately. However, working them together has given me a Recovery like no other I have ever seen. Of course, I give all the credit for my Recovery, not being limited to just drugs, to my accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

The greatest strength in a non-faith based fellowship in recovery is also its weakness. Stopping drugs and alcohol are the only goal in most of those fellowships,  but to truly live C.L.E.A.N. takes Jesus, the Deliverance we receive from the Spirit is key. Only then can we be CLEARLY LEAVING EVERY ADDICTION NOW.

T.I.M.E.(THIS I MUST EARN) is a component found in the Word of God to have a daily reprieve from the damage D.R.U.G.S. (Devils Revenge Upon Gods Subjects) have done to our body and soul. Each day we pray for the strength to not use, and the Word tells us Jesus' mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:23KJV)

Relapse never has to be part of out story, but if it is, the Word encourages us to make another attempt no matter how many times we have waivered before. (Proverbs 24:16)

In Conclusion, for me, walking With Jesus has made freedom from drugs, alcohol, cigarette, pornography, coffee, soda, and video games! etc.. thanks to God, through the 12 steps I am delivered!

The attitude that helps me is: This I Must Earn Clearly Leaving Every Addiction Now. 

Please follow this blog, and we have a blog for our Ministry as well. http://f41thwalkers.tumblr.com/

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Intro from F41th Walker Ministry Blog

Recovery has many forms, A.A. is 12 step fellowship that helps those who wish to stop drinking, NA is similar but the focus is coping with Addiction, C.A. let those addicts talk about their drug problems in the meetings but uses AA literature.

The above are over simplified definitions and are my personal opinion formed from my personal experience. I mean no offense. 

However it is the position of the Ministry that a born again Christian, who does not develop in their Christian Walk will eventually become of no effect. So it will be the practice of the Ministry to teach and encourage Recovery principals,which can be found in the Bible,  to its members and followers.  To that End a separate blog will focus on recovery and Christianity.

please follow the new blog here : http://f41thwmcr.tumblr.com/