I'm Tired...

I have just arrived home from a very busy night on 'Street Outreach' Things didn't happen tonight the way I anticipated they would. Because the plans were different to my expectations I got irritated, I got tired and I got resentments.On arriving home I have to unwind so I sit with a coffee and assess my evening. I then begin to read scripture:

James 1:2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Resentment can lead to sinful actions,
Resentment can lead to wrongful accusations.
Resentment can prevent positive spiritual growth,

In 12 Step fellowship we read the cliche:

Don't get too....

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

When tests and challenges come at you from all sides, you know that under pressure your
faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors

Don't take life to seriously and practice Step 10 (Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.) daily to avoid character relapse.

Follow-through on your decisions

When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. Ecclesiastes 5:4 (NLT)

We must take care of all that God has entrusted to us. Following-through on the decisions we make in life makes Him happy. Whatever the result of our decisions are in His hands. Our part is to take the actions He directs us too and give Glory to Him for what happens.

Step 12
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other hurting people and practice these principles in all our daily lives.

Lonliness

Last night at Recovery Church we had a great meeting as we discussed 'Loneliness' being 'Alone' and how to cope with it.

Always trust and do not be afraid
Isaiah 12:2 "Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. God—yes God!—is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!"

Lean on God
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding;

Only rely on Him
1 Cor. 2:13 We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.

Never give up
Galatians 6:9 So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

Expect God to change your circumstances
Luke 12:40 So don't you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don't
expect him, the Son of Man will show up."

Commitment that overcomes obstacles

2 Corinthians 8:12 Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands.

As we commit our lives to God and to recovery we can expect to face obstacles, but we can also expect to overome them with God's power. Our common bond must be commitment to God at all costs.... 

Commitment that overcomes obstacles

2 Corinthians 8:12 Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands.

As we commit our lives to God and to recovery we can expect to face obstacles, but we can also expect to overome them with God's power. Our common bond must be commitment to God at all costs.... 

Family

1 Peter 3:8-9 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Favouritism destroys family unity - Parents may not always be able to change their feelings but they can always change their actions.

Family responsibilities must be a priority - It is easy to get caught up thinking our work is so important that we can ignore our families. Spiritual leadership must begin at home and we must not allow other activites to detract from our family responsibilities.

Family members should honour each other - If the saviour of the world obeyed his human parents, how much more should we honour the mebbers of our families?

God's commands apply to both parents and children. If our faith is real it will prove itself at home, in our relationships with those who know us best.

Family

1 Peter 3:8-9 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Favouritism destroys family unity - Parents may not always be able to change their feelings but they can always change their actions.

Family responsibilities must be a priority - It is easy to get caught up thinking our work is so important that we can ignore our families. Spiritual leadership must begin at home and we must not allow other activites to detract from our family responsibilities.

Family members should honour each other - If the saviour of the world obeyed his human parents, how much more should we honour the mebbers of our families?

God's commands apply to both parents and children. If our faith is real it will prove itself at home, in our relationships with those who know us best.

#2 Faith - Firm trust in God

Hebrews 6:17 When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—

God's words are a dependable foundation. Obeying God is like building a house on strong, solid foundations that stand against the storms of life.

Obedience determines the quality of our foundations. We must build with high quality materials that meet God's standards.

Developing a dependable foundation is our personal responsibility. Recovery is about building character that can stand the tests of life.

#1 Faith - Hope in the unseen

Hebrews 11:1 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.

We can't see electricity - but we know when we flick a switch it will respond.

We can't see the wind - but we know can feel it's breeze as we stand in an open field.

We can't see God - but we can be assured through faith and trust in Him; He is with us as we go through the problems, solutions and celebrations of life.....

#6 Prayer - Rejoice and give thanks to God.

Revelation 19:7a Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let us give him the glory

Celebrating wins is an important part of prayer. Giving God the glory for things He has done and will do in us is a necessary part of maturing in recovery.


Give to Jesus glory,Give to Jesus glory,Proclaim redemption's wondrous plan
And give to Jesus glory. W.H. Clark

This chorusd says it all. By ourself we cannot sustain recovery but with Him anything is possible.

#5 Prayer - Expect God to answer according to His Purpose for you

Proverbs 11:23 The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment

Our expectations should not limit God. Our understanding and appreciation of Jesus must go beyond what He can do for us here and now. Our expectations must always include the fact our persepective on life and recovery is limited. We serve a God who is all powerful, who can do things in our lives far greater than we can expect or understand.

Recovery should include great expectation. As we travel the road to recovery we can become complacent with life and fail to expect Jesus to act. Faith in God is a mind-set that expects him to act. When we act on this expectation we can overcome the hurdles life presents us.

Gods actions won't always be what we expect. He knows what is best for us.He has a plan and a purpose for us. Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me When we sincerely pray, God will answer, sometimes not as we expect but always as we need.

Step 2 is about the birth of faith in us.

Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

#4 Prayer - Yield yourself to God

Job 22:21 "Give in to God, come to terms with him and everything will turn out just fine.

God's way may be painful In order to avoid pain we can:

* Refuse to listen to Him
* Listen to Him but fail to act on the things He reveals to us
* Act on the things He reveals to us we are comfortable with and forget the rest

In todays scripture we are told to "give in to God" Step 3 involves a decision to let God be in charge of our lives 'Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God' Through yielding yourself to God Philip. 4:19 says "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus."

#3 Prayer - Ask for what you need

Matthew 7:7 "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.

God wants us to handle our needs through recognition of our dependence on Him. He wants us to be direct with Him in our requests and to trust Him to supply our needs according to His will for our lives.

Some of the ways he meets our needs are:

Through people - God puts people in our lives to help us on our road to recovery. We have to reach out to them and allow God to work through them in our lives.

Through resources It is important as we wait on God to provide resources to meet our needs we consider He may be waitng for us to take the first step to demonstrate how important our needs are.

Through trust in Him Do you ever feel God is so busy that your needs are too large even for God to help? Or feel that your needs are too small and would not interest Him? You are not alone! Take heart, there is nothing too large for God to handle or any need too small to escape His interest.

God cares about us and wants us to live our lives daily in His care and service. When He supplies solutions to our needs He wants us to be open minded through continued 'prayer and meditation' and to help others in recovery.

Step 12
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other hurting people and practice these principles in all our daily lives.

#2 Prayer - Repent when you sin

The dictionary says repent means to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent(feeling or expressing sorrow for sin or wrongdoing and disposed to atonement and amendment; repentant)

It is in prayer we must bring the things to God that make these feelings occur in us and in doing so discipline ourselves to live differently in the future, make amends to people we harm as a result of the feelings of inadequacy and shame that are created from sin and wrongdoing in our lives.

Step 10 Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

#1 Prayer - Following through

Colossians 3:1 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.

It can be tempting in our prayer lives to pray and forget. To pray for and about the things we must face and change in our recovery walks and then forget them as things get better. As God reveals things to us we must take care of them. Following-through on them is as important as the initial prayer for them.

* Effective follow-through begins with active goal setting
* Effective follow-through includes praise and appreciation for all God is doing in and through us.
* Effective follow-through includes ongoing seeking of God's will for our lives.

Recovery Church 13.04.2010

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.'

Tonight the Holy Spirit was with us as we met to discuss 'Radical Hope' and our 'passions'

Even in these early stages, as 'Recovery Church' gets established God is transforming the lives of those who attend.

Join us next Tuesday @ 6:30pm to share your expierences and investigate the realities of God's promises for your life.....

Next Week : 'RaDiCaL PRaYeR'

Hope #2

Ephesians 4:22-23 Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life,a life renewed from the inside

Hope opens us up to change

Turning our lives over to God's care may mean they need to take different directions. Directions that are responsive and obedient to His Word and His purpose.

Growing hope in God's plan for our futures will also prepare us for the unexpected. God's plan does not always line up with our expectations. As His plan unfolds we need to through continued trust in Him adjust our lives to follow His path.

Hope #1

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see

Life can be tough. As we struggle against the realities of life, sickness, sin, suffering and shame we can feel overwhelmed by the task in front of us as we begin or continue on the road to recovery.

Step 1 of Alcoholics Anonymous says "we admit we are powerless and that our lives have become unmanageable"

This step is about admitting I on my own cannot cope but through dependence on God in difficult times I can learn to develop hope that can persevere under all circumstances. Trusting God daily will help me develop stronger life values and character. This will deepen my trust in God and lead me to lasting life transformation.

Face It to Replace It!

Galatians 6:5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

God cares about the attitudes of our hearts. Recovery involves our attitudes. We need to examine them, face up to them and change them if required before we can experience transformation of our hearts and lives.

Jesus Purpose!

1 Timothy 1:15 Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.