Seth Barber was our speaker, sharing a message from Matthew 19:16-26.
Speaking from the 12 steps Seth quotes that "Those who are willing to go to any length to follow these steps" are ready for change.
Having worked in recovery for the last 12 years, I have seen the truth in this statement. It is not that someone who is ready to change has the power and ability to do so, but that a desire to change leads to Jesus Christ. He and He alone has the power and ability to bring the change to our lives that we so readily desire. The steps are merely guides or boundaries in which we operate as God works in us and through us to restore and renew through salvation.
Listen to the message and let God speak to your heart.
The hardest part or idea to get across is that God does the work in recovery, we simply cooperate with Him.
Step#1 - The admission that we cannot live life and manage it in a healthy way. We see this through the destruction and broken relationships we have left behind.
Step#2 - Recognize that there is a power greater than ourselves (that would be Jesus Christ) who can restore us to sanity.
Step#3 - Make a conscious decision (through conviction and repentance because of the Holy Spirit making us aware of our sinful nature and ways) to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood him.
Some have trouble with this statement (God as we understood him). It simply means that the understanding of God we have today as we come to him for the change that only he can bring. Knowing that as we grow in relationship with him, our understanding of who God is will also change. The God I know today will not be the same as a month from now as I grow in him.
God on you......
mb
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