Know and accept the truth.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

To be 'set free' is to know and accept the truth - about myself and about Jesus. The truth is on our own we are powerless, sinful and unmanageable. With God's truth as a life standard we can recognize, accept and confess our needs and struggles. As we confess, share and face the truth God will make us whole. Applying His truth to our lives daily will set us free from sinful habits, addiction and emotional bondage.

Personal Relationships

When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. Everyone cried a lot as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him. The thought of not seeing Paul again hurt them most of all. Then they took Paul to the ship. Acts 20:36-38

Healthy personal relationships require investment of self. Building strong relationships with others requires sharing, caring, sorrowing, rejoicing and praying together. You will gather others around you only by giving yourself away to them.

A call to Holy Living

1 Peter 1:13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.

In order to live a Holy life we must learn to practice self-control. Self-control is not will power. I is not something we achieve by just saying no. Self-control is
developed as a result of following God's guidance, taking one step at a time. Self-contol grows gradually in our lives. It is produced in us by the Holy Spirit as we stay connected to Him on a daily basis.

When we stumble

Romans 11:11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

Whenever a person determines to overcome difficulties, or to change their lives they can be sure stumbles along they way. They will never experience completely plain sailing. They will also always be aware of warning signs of impending danger. Recovery can also like that. In these times we can rely on God to help us to continue on His path for us, even though we may stumble. Falling down is not failure, not getting back up is.

Reap what you sow!

Galatians 6:7-8 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

After we have been forgiven we must deal with the consequences of our actions. In order to avoid negative consequences we need to practice positive actions. Prayer and meditation is a good place to start and develop positive action in our lives.

Hope in the Messiah

As we progress in recovery our thinking should become less like those whom we used and more like God's. Fear of rejection from not going along with the crowd should become a thing of our past as we as we learn fear of the Lord is all we need to receive all we need in life and recovery. Isaiah 8:11-13

As we look to our future, it is through prayer a meditation we should seek God's guidance. Isaiah 8:19

Jesus is the 'Prince of Peace' He alone can fill us with peace and make us whole, help us through all the changes that must occur to live lives of freedom with Him. Isaiah 9:6-7

Recovery requires a change of character, attitude and actions. Failure to change will result in destruction of our new found life and lead us to relapse. Isaiah 10:1-2

Through submission to His will for us God will us free Isaiah 10:27

 

To read scripture verses go to http://twitter.com/ArchieB_Aus

 

 

Relapse prevention

You cannot stand still and grow spiritually at the same time.

Gullible people kill themselves because of their turning away.
Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference. Proverbs 1:32

When we first enter recovery it can feel like we have discovered the answers to all our wants. As we grow in recovery we realise what we have discovered is answers to our needs, In order to continue spiritual growth we need to saty focused on God and not take for granted the gift of 'new life' He has given us.

Your own wickedness will correct you, and your unfaithful ways will punish you. You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you if you abandon the LORD your God Jeremiah 2:19

As we grow we can be our own worst enemies. Facing the realities of a life of addiction and compulsion is not easy. That is why we must include God in every circumstance of our life. Seeking and doing His will need to become our 'normal instincts and action.

The LORD says, “I will cure them of their unfaithfulness. I will love them freely. I will no longer be angry with them. Hosea 14:4

No matter what we have done, what we are ddoing or what we will do God is there ready to forgive us when we return to Him, seek and obey His will for us.

Know God personally.

Hosea 4:6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.

God wants us to know Him personally. Without intimate, growing relationship with Him we will experience difficulty applying the steps to our lives.

Remember what God has done for you!

Micah 6:4-5 For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove[a] to Gilgal,when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.”

It is easy when thingd don't go our way to become negative and resentful, to convince ourselves faith is not for us. Or when things go right to take the credit ourselves and ignore God's part in our recovery. Successful recovery depends on us giving God the Glory for what he does in and through us. Failure to do so may result in relaspse.

Wrong for us..

Romans 14:23-24 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. 23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

There are things in life that are not necessarilly wrong but could lead us to relapse. If we know they are wrong for us we need to avoid them, Even though they may not be sinful. If we have any doubt about something we need to stop, pray and ask God for the wisdom and strength to resist it,

Continually seek God

1 Chronicles 16:11 Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.

Instead of looking back and seeing wrong things from our past we need to concentrate on the good things God has done. In prayer seek Him for strength today. Ask Him to fulfill His promise for tomorrow. Meditate on your victories , consider His faithfulness and hope.

Never Give Up

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

It is easy to quit. We have all faced problems in our addiction and compulsion. Relationship problems, work problems, health problems etc. In recovery we will also have to face problems, some that will make us want to quit and go back to what we know. Rather than quit concentrate on experiencing the inner strength from the Holy Spirit. In weakness the power of God will strengthen us moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day.

Requesting God's Guidance

Habakkuk 2:1-2 I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost.There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.Then the Lord said to me,“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.

Contimued spiritual growth requires continual conversation with God and meditation on His replies to us. When God gives guidance to us He wants us to share those experiences with others. Like Habakkuk we to would be wise to heed God's reply and write things down. Both for our own benefit and for the benefit of sharing God's replies to our prayers to others.

Journalling our recovery walk is a good practice to get into early in recovery, It helps us share our story of:

'What we used to be like, what happened and what we are like now.' (Alcoholics Anonymous)

God makes wise choices for us.

1 Chronicles 29:12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

It is important for us all to remember this. Everything we have is from Him. Opportunities and options are given at God's discretion and He chooses the outcomes based on our actions and reactions.

Live God's Purpose Today

Having just returned home from the funeral service of my brother-in-law Phil Ernst I am convinced God wants nothing more from us than to Live His Purpose. In our families, our work, our play, our prayer and our praise. Through love He has made a way for us all to Live His Purpose and to achieve it we must seek Him through prayer and meditation daily and be obedient to His leading.

Look forward to a better life.

Matthew 26:38 “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. ”

Jesus understands our fear as we face our own cross on the way to new life. But during times of fear we can go to Him for encouragement . Finally Jesus found the grace to accept God's plan (Matthew 26:39) and so can we.

Lifestyle Change

2 Peter 2:17-18 These people are as useless as dried- up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.

Recovery requires lifestyle change. In our relationships whilst using we will always have people. Using partners, friends, workmates and family who want us to use. Because some suffer codependency and our getting clean removes our need of dependence on them. Others who if they accept our addictions and compulsions may have to also accept their own.

The 'Big Book' of Alcoholics Anonymous in the chapter ' How it Works' says "if you want what we have and are willing to go to any lengths to get it you are ready to take certain steps"

These steps are steps of lifestyle change. Without lifestyle change we cannot and will not achieve lasting, meaningful sobriety.

Family Influence

Luke 20:21 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully.

Our family has an influence on who we are today. Some of is want to believe our family different than they really are. Others may want to avoid responsibility for our addiction and dependency, blaming our family.

The reality of our family make up is not always easy to accept. But accept it we must in order to establish ourselves in God's family and move forward in recovery. To be influenced in our future by God we must look at the reality of our family relationships today. Talk to God about what is wrong and trust Him to help us put it right.

Acknowledge God

Daniel 4:34
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal.

Despite recognizing that God exists and works miracles Nebuchadnezzar did not acknowledge God as Lord immediately. This may also be the case for us in recovery. Until we acknowledge that He is Lord He in not going to shape our lives for His purpose.

Meeting your needs

Proverbs 3:26 the Lord is your security.
He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

Our needs are legitimate in life. What is not legitimate is the things we have relied upon to meet them. In order to achieve lasting, fulfilling recovery we must learn to change our reliance. Learning to depend on God instead of our addiction or compulsion will not only give us security but also happiness.

Many of us use because "we just want to be happy" The way to true happiness is found through faith in and obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in out daily lives.

Meditate on what the Bible says

Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

When you read the Bible listen to what God is saying to you. The Holy Spirit will give you thoughts. Write them down and then share them with someone you trust.

Practice what the Bible Teaches.

Philippians 4:9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

To experience continued peace in recovery we must continually learn from the Bible and apply it to daily living.

Think about what the Bible says.

Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

The Bible is not just a book to read. As we read it we need to think about what we are reading and how it applies to our new lives in recovery.

How God's Word changes us

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

1. Teaching us what is true.
2. Showing us what is wrong.
3. Straightening out our lives.
5. Preparing us for obedient living.
6. Equipping us for every task.

God loves Me!

Ephesians 3:14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,

As we realise how much God loves us we feel that restoration and healing are possible. Grounded in His love we desire more and more communication with Him. And as a result of improved communication desire making His praise a life priority.

Honest Comminication

2 Timothy 2:16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.

A relationship with God has the same characteristics of other relationships - it demands honest communication on a regular basis.

Confident Prayer

1 John 5:14-15 we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.

The more specific our prayers, the more specific the answers will be. The secret is to pray according to His will. We know His will by knowing His Word. Therefore, as we pray according to His Word, we know He’ll answer.

Blame

Romans 2:1 No matter who you are, if you judge anyone, you have no excuse. When you judge another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.

Ever since the beginning of time, indulgence in blame has been a human weakness. Blaming circumstances or people is a waste of time and effort. The biggest object of most blame-throwing is God. Putting our blame onto Him reduces the blame we place on ourselves, reduces our guilt and our shame. Blame complicates, destroys, wounds, assaults, destroys, but seldom heals, builds, smiles or resolves. So what is the point of blaming circumstances, others or God for our addiction and situation? The answer!! None….

Blame leads to resentment, aggression and low self-esteem. It alienates us from others and causes isolation. As a result of it we become bitter, feel guilty, rejected, unhappy and misunderstood. With the attitude of blame we have no hope of recovery.

We have all been sucked into the practice of blame. It is a downward spira from which we have one escape. God awaits hearing from us…l

Worthy of all Praise.

Psalms 96:4 For GOD is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;

It is a delightful thing to possess inner assurance of the existence of God and know Him personally. The Bible affirms God is a person. A self-conscious being, totally independent of other beings. A personal God who is knowable, on a person-to-person basis. One who longs for love and desires company. One who invites our trust and obedience. It is encouraging when we can declare together 'God is our God' - Worthy of all Praise.