It is not for the faint of heart.
It is certainly not for those who are sitting on the fence of indecision.
It is most definitely not for those who are not committed.
It is for those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Recovery.....
Recovery.....
Each morning when you awake and your feet hit the floor, you carry with you a most incredible gift if you are in recovery. You get up sober. You get up and start the day ahead of the curve, so to speak. Your goal and your plan must be to maintain that sobriety for the next 24 hours. That means that you have to be on guard.....against yourself. To guard your mind and heart from old thoughts coming back into the picture. Guard your heart and mind from seeking out old friends or old places you use to haunt. It is a battle, but it is a battle that is doable and can be won. It is won by surrender and giving up. A turning of will and life over to the care of a Power greater than yourself. In our case, such a Power is an individual, Jesus.
It all seems so awkward at first, this whole surrender thing. It doesn't feel normal and you will be filled with doubts and fear of the future. Don't worry. Having such thoughts and fears are normal. But don't let them dictate your actions.Before taking any action that even remotely resembles your old way of living....Stop! Don't do anything. Now cry out to God. Really? Cry out? You mean actually verbally, say out loud, crying? Yep, that's what I mean. You can cry "Help!" You can cry out "Save me!"...You can cry out "O, God do something!"....the words aren't important, but the need deep inside of you is. That desperation of not truly wanting to go back to the old ways.
This next part is going to be hard to swallow for some. You see, we are living in the 21st Century and with all the technology that we have, anything that is founded in "Spirituality" is looked at with deep skepticism. So what is this next part? Well, if there is a Higher Power that is trying to save you and aid you in your recovery, then there is a Lower Power that is trying to make sure that you never do recover. In fact his actions go a little farther than simply trying to keep you from hooking up with Jesus. This Lower Power's intention is to kill you...destroy you and everything around you...and to steal everything from you (John 10:10). This lower power goes by many names.....Satan, Lucifer, but most know him as the devil. He is not some made up figure on which we lay all the blame for evil in the world. He is a real being, a fallen angel whose pride drove him to take on God in a head to head match. How'd that turn out? Not too good. Got the old boy kicked out of heaven. Ever since that day, the devil has been trying to get even with God. Now he knows that he cannot beat God in a head to head match, so his next best bet is to go after God's highest creation.....man/women.
To me, that is the entire reason behind addiction. The devil knows that we have an appetite for all the wrong things (it is called a sin nature--every person is born with one). So he develops new and interesting things to feed that dark appetite. He knows that we are creatures of emotion and, as such, when those emotions are pointing to the dark side, he whispers to us that life would be so much better, and pain free if we would simply introduce alcohol and/or drugs into the middle of our emotional turmoil. Thus begins that slippery slide down into self destruction. Because we have surrendered will and life over to the care of this devil, it only makes sense that a greater Power is our only answer. This is where Jesus comes into the picture.
Motivated by a pure love for us, Jesus steps onto the scene with a promise of deliverance. He offers us real life that is not motivated by our own selfish desires, wants and needs. He offers life with Him. Now before we go any further, let's get one thing straight. This isn't a life of religion. It isn't a life bound by a list of rules and do's and don't's. It is a life of freedom from our past. It is a life of relationship with Him. It is organic, always changing, always moving forward confronting what ever may come at us today whose aim is to destroy us or, at least, move us back into that old lifestyle.
Whereas the promises made by the devil are empty and only seek to destroy us, the promises made by Jesus are meant to show us the way to real life. The devil will promise you anything and everything to get you to forget all this recovery nonsense. He will promise you the moon, never intending to fulfill it, if you will only stop your journey with Jesus and return to him. Is it any wonder that I hate this devil so. I have stood over coffins of those who succumbed to his lies. I have sat up all hours of the night listening to the ranting and ravings of those who returned to the darkness. Why did they call me? They wanted me to know what an incredible liar this Jesus was. At least that was the delusion and demonic influence that was behind the call. I always answer back to such nonsense with, "Well let me ask you this. Is your life better today that it was when you were in recovery and were following Steps?" They never seem to answer that one. Why? Because they know the truth and there is no rebuttal to real truth.
I want to close with one of the most incredible verses found in the Bible.
It was written at one of the darkest times in human history. An entire country had been taken captive and lead off into slavery. Why? Because they had rejected the Power greater themselves who could restore them. Instead they sought to feed the dark desires of their own hearts, giving it anything and everything it wanted. God stepped in after countless attempts to get them to turn from their ways, but the nation would have no part of it. Now, sitting in the rubble and destruction of what was once a great, thriving city, the prophet of God penned these words....
It was written at one of the darkest times in human history. An entire country had been taken captive and lead off into slavery. Why? Because they had rejected the Power greater themselves who could restore them. Instead they sought to feed the dark desires of their own hearts, giving it anything and everything it wanted. God stepped in after countless attempts to get them to turn from their ways, but the nation would have no part of it. Now, sitting in the rubble and destruction of what was once a great, thriving city, the prophet of God penned these words....
"The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this; The unfailing love of the LORD never ends. By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, 'the LORD is my inheritance, therefore, I will hope in Him."........................Lamentations 3:19-23
Hope...found in an individual....
Jesus.
God on you...
mb
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