Look in the Mirror

How many times do we look in mirror each day? suppose we looked in the mirror and found our face was fithy dirty. wouldn't we immediately clean it? We need to routinely inspect our lives in in the spiritual mirror 'The Bible' Then if anything is wrong take the proper steps to clean it up.

Get rid of all immoral behavior and all the wicked things you do. Humbly accept the word that God has placed in you. This word can save you.Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves. If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect teachings that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s teachings say.James 1:21-25

Step Twelve

Having gone through these steps and discovering the importance of individual relationship with God, through Jesus I will try to live according to His principles and to lead others to know Him.

On completion of Steps 1 to 11 we are in a special position to be able to testify to others of what God has done for us. When touching on sensitive issues it is important to speak in love not condemnation, understanding not aggression.

We are not the Saviour people need but we are His witnesses.

Love does not point out their problem, it offers a solution .

We can support others as they go through the twelve steps and become ready to let God be Master of their lives.

Step Eleven

In order to discover God’s purpose for my life, implement it and to improve my relationship with Him I will spend time daily in prayer, reading the Bible, meditating on it.

None of us want to spend time reading the instructions. But that is what is required to understand God's will for our lives. The Bible is full of inspirational ways of doing things God's way. We however do not always understand it and that is why we need to go to God daily. He is our spiritual growth teacher. God doesn't ask us to just accept blindly what the Bible says but to think about what we are going to implement, weigh up the costs and consequences. Try it and apply it.

Step Ten

Now that I am in the process of change I will check myself daily to make sure I am not slipping back into my old ways and if I am I will take steps to rectify it.

To confess means to agree with God when He declares wrong is wrong. This means we need to recogise wrong as it occurs and confess it daily. Each time we do it is washed away, cleansed by Him. Some areas need more cleaning than others. God knows this and understands recovery is a process in which we advance daily. God wants us to have daily communication with Him.

Step Nine

Having identified the people I have harmed I will now go and make restitution to them. Unless to do so is going to cause them or others pain or suffering.

We spent so long in addiction apologizing, swearing we would never do it again. The people we have hurt, those closest to us are sick of hearing. This step demands action. Doing something we wouldn't normally do. Not just saying sorry but putting in the effort to make restitution and ensure we do not repeat our previous efforts.

Step Eight

As part of the process of change I will identify and record everyone I have harmed and through prayer become willing to make restitution to them.

The recovery process give us a new nature. Before we came to recovery our nature was selfish and rebellious. We ignored God.

However, now we are on recovery we need to look at our actions and there consequences. We need to identify people we have harmed and become willing to put right the wrongs we have caused. Rebuilding relationships on the right footing is required for successful recovery.

Step Seven

Through acknowledgement of God’s supreme power I humbly ask Him to help me change my sinful habits and attitudes.

After examining our past we may feel cut off from God. Considering our attitudes and actions may make us feel unworthy. We may struggle with self-hatred. Remorse may cause us to wonder 'how can I ask God for help?'

The reality is God welcomes us even when we feel this way. In Luke 18 it says the proud will be humbled and the humble will be honoured.

It is the humbling of our heart that opens the way to God's forgiveness.

Step Six

After discovering my sinful habits and attitudes and confessing them I am now willing to let God change me.

God can help us change if we keep an open mind and heart. When we are ready to give up hope on ourselves or others, believing a change of habit or attitude impossible we need to remember God can work a complete change in us if we are willing to let Him.

Step Five

On completion of my list of sinful habits I will confess them to God and to someone that I trust.

As we make a list of our sinful behaviours and habits it's like sifting through the garbage of our past. It will be painful, but it is a necessary part of change. Left unidentified they will spoil the rest of our lives.

On identifying them we can take out the garbage. We can take responsibility for our poor choices and actions.We can take it to God, share it with someone we trust and turn our lives in a new direction. God's direction.

Step Four

In order to help me change I will investigate and record with God’s help my sinful habits and attitudes.

The purpose of recovery is changed life. Living differently than we have in the past. Removing sinful habits and attitudes that have led us to and kept us trapped in addiction and compulsion.

Before we can change them we need to identify them. Recording them helps us to recognise and accept them.

When we do accept them it can be down heartening, that is why we need God's help in this step. It is the beginning of the process of moving towards becoming the person God designed us to be.

Step Three

I am making a decision to let God help me change and commit to working with Him to do so.

As we commit our life to giving God authority to change us as He sees fit we will come across obstacles. The Good News is God promises to be with us always. Not only going with us but going ahead of is preparing the way for our new life in Him

Accountability and honesty are necessary in the recovery process. As we take this step daily commitment to transforming our lives become the norm. We know where we have been. We know where we are now. This step is about consciously deciding where we are going to spend eternity.

Step Two

Belief in God is a process. It is the result of considering God, reasoning on His existence and coming to a conclusion. It involves emotion and logic, which leads to action.

We begin with our own experience. Which for most of us is easy to accept 'it didn't work'. Realisaton that we cannot stop on our own then sets in. We then take time to consider God and if we listen closely enough, look at the world around us come to the conclusions 'there is a God' and 'He cares about me'.

As we then consider this reality and His Majesty we realise 'with the power God possesses He is more than able to help me recover'

2. I believe that God exists, that He cares about me and He can help me to regain control of my life.

Step One

I admit that my life is a mess and I am out of control.

Admitting life is out of control and messy is easy for most of us when we come to recovery. It is easy to look at the results of our addictions and compulsions and accept we have allowed our drink, drug etc become the driving force of our lives.

Accepting this however is easier for most of us than accepting we need to take steps to change.

Jesus came to release those who are bound by addiction and compulsion and to help us gain self-control enough to make a choice to do something about our situation and circumstances.

1 Corinthians 6:12 I can do anything I want to if God has not said no, but some things aren't good for me. Even if I am allowed to do them. I'll refuse them if I think they might get such a grip on me I can't stop them when I want to.

Make a choice today to refuse the things that have you captive and trust God to help you discover how to live a sober, serene life.

God Worthy

Psalms 8:3-4 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. Because God had already declared go valuable we are to Him we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness.

Enduring Pain

2 Corinthians 7:9 I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have.

Sometimes pain is necessary to het our attention. Many people do not respond to Biblical truths until they experience personal pain. Are you willing to listen to God for truth's sake? If so He promises He will never give us more pain than we are able to endure and as a result of enduring it we will grow spiritually.

Go where God wants you to ...

Romans 15:20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

Step 12 and (Acts 1:8) tell us it is important to share our experience of God with others and each other . All of us, coming from where we do have access to groups of people the Church doesn't. Family, friends, acquaintances. People God wants us to reach out to. Introduce to the reality of what life with Him can be.
Now is the time to step up, standout and be counted.

Today!

It is common practice in retail outlets for employees to say 'have a nice day' Wishing won't make it so. Our best plans often go wrong. The way to live our lives is one day at a time.

To have a day-by-day philosophy is helpful. None of us can guarantee what tomorrow will bring. To know and to live God's principles of faith, love and hope is to have a strong foundation when crisis or surprise occur. People of God experience a child-like trust in Him which nothing can destroy.

Proverbs 27:1 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

Sticks and Stones

I remember growing up the saying 'sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me'

What do people call you? Sometimes we are tagged with the wrong name. Not just nicknames but names that we accrue as a result of living wrongly as a result of our addictions and compulsions. Jail-bird, liar, no-hoper, thief, drunk, junkie etc. As these names spread among our associates they can be very damaging. They can become impossible to get rid of, requiring time, a change of attitude and actions.

Positioning ourselves under the name of Jesus is a way to change others perception of us. Learning about, listening to Him and becoming more like Him ensures the names we acquire are names that truly reflect who we are and not what we do.

Philippians 2:9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

Not everyone makes it!

Ezra 9:8 “now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery.

Recovery is hard work! None of us find it easy I'm early recovery to completely change our lives. Give up everything we have grown comfortable with. God gives us moments of relief. Times when we see and feel the benefit of living honestly and chemically free. As we advance in recovery life becomes brighter and we value our relationships with God and with others.

But we need to work intentionally at growing in faith on a daily basis.

Grey Areas

The battle of midway is fought repeatedly. The grey areas of life seem attractive to thousands of people, preferring indecision and fence sitting. Telling lies and then justifying them. It is hard to understand the attraction of grey areas but they do exist with dangerously creative power.

One of the blessings of recovery is the power to make up our mind. Grey power may try to kid us to only skim the surface. But, if we are to truly live as God wants we need to 'Choose today' complete surrender to seeking and carrying out His will.

God's commandments to us are clear, no grey areas.

Joshua 24:15 choose today whom you will serve. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. ”

Trust the work that Christ has done!

But Christ came as a chief priest of the good things that are now here. Christ went through a better, more perfect tent that was not made by human hands and that is not part of this created world. He used his own blood, not the blood of goats and bulls, for the sacrifice. He went into the most holy place and offered this sacrifice once and for all to free us forever.Hebrews 9:11-12

Trusting the work that Christ did is the only way to have complete forgiveness, a clear conscience and eternal life. When we put our faith in Him we are free to know and serve God.

A mission from God.

John 20:21 “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. ”

The disciples did not have the power to forgive sins (only God forgives sins) but Jesus gave them the privilege of telling others that their sins have been forgiven through acceptance of His message.

We to have the privilege of telling others of our lives being transformed through acceptance of His message and application of the principles of recovery in our lives.

Good parental role models

Proverbs 1:8 listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

On Wednesday night all family members other than my daughter and I were out. As we sat together she asked me 'dad can I come sit on your knee?' I asked her why she wanted to sit on my knee? To which she answered "does a girl need a reason to want to sit on her Dad's knee?"

Not the answer I was expecting but one that was most appropriate. As I thought of it later I realized at least for one of my three children I was fulfilling my role as a father. Someone who loved her unconditionally to whom she could come to, sit on my knee and feel comfortable and safe in the arms of her father.

We all need father figures, for many of us they were not a reality as grew up. The 'Good News' for us all in recovery is we all have a heavenly Father who loves us to whom we can go when we feel scared, uncertain, in unfamiliar territory and ask Him 'Dad can I sit on your knee' and unlike me' with my daughter on Wednesday He won't ask us why He will simply say to us COME!

Life or death? You decide!

We have been born into a new life which has an inheritance that can’t be destroyed or corrupted and can’t fade away. That inheritance is kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:4

You probably came to recovery because you were 'sick and tired of being sick and tired' Sick of the pain, the lies the destruction. One day at a time you are now learning the principles of recovery. Step twelfth encourages us to lead others to know God. Our message won't be accepted by everyone who needs to hear and respond to it. But those who do will know relationship with Him is the diference between life or death for them.

Knowing God's peace

May good will and peace fill your lives through your knowledge about Jesus, our God and Lord! 2 Peter 2:2

experiencing God's kindness and peace depends on knowing Him. Sometimes we expect peace to come before we make healthy choices. This verse of scripture identifies for us peace comes when we focus on getting to know God. Improving conscious contact with God in our lives is an important part of our spiritual growth in recovery.

Broken trust

Hosea 3:1Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them. ”

If we have broken trust with a spouse making amends will take time. False promises need to be evidenced by change before trust is fully restored,

During that time we can demonstrate our wrong behaviour has stopped.

Love and trust come together and can take time to restore. Focus on living the steps while you wait

Sharing together

Galatians 6:1-2 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

The Bible tells us if someone is overcome by sin we should gently and humbly help them back on the path to recovery.

We are not the Saviour of anyone but we can love others as He loves us. We can become part of each others support network. Loving the sinner not the sin.

Follow Jesus!

“You abandon the commandments of God to follow human traditions" Mark 7:8

We all know the difference between right and wrong. Know that the easy way is not alsways the right way to do things. Following the ways of the world may give us relief in the short term but it will not help us for the long term. The only way to overcome our addictions and compulsions and remain overcomers for the long term is to follow God's commandments in all areas of our lives.

Family Influence

Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this.Ephesians 1:5

Our family of origin has an influence on who we are today. Some of us want to pretend that our families are nearly perfect. Other may want to avoid responsibility for our actions by blaming our family. When we think about our lives we need to deal with the influence that our family had on us. As we do we have a right to hold them responsibile for their part in our current circumstances. It is part of the picture of who we are now.

However, it is our responsibility to take the steps we need to move us from where we are now to where God wants us to be. A better place for us and our family.

Praise God in all things.

Melbourne Order 614. 2010 graduated at TSA Commissioning tonight at Melbourne Convention Centre and God was praised.

Looking for approval?

Not one person can have God’s approval by following Moses’ Teachings. Moses’ Teachings show what sin is. Romans 3:20

The more we know about God the clearer it becomes that we don't measure up. We mus recognize our need of His daily help. When we fail in our walk with Him we can remind ourselves 'I am powerless without Him'

Seeking God's approval requires continually seeking His ways and support.

Start Spreading the News!

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,the good news of peace and salvation,the news that the God reigns.

God's message of salvation and deliverance is so wonderful it deserves to nbe shared. As we enter December and Step 12 let us all be bold and be prepared to introduce others to the saving Grace of jesus Christ. Not only will it help them but it will also help us be obedient to the command'Go and make disciples' Matthew 28:19

This is the essence of Step 12, which calls us to share what we have with others as we continue in recovery.