After that generations died, another generation grew up who did not acknowlege the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.
Judges 3:7
......they forgot about the LORD, their God.
Judges 21:25
In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
Call me foolish...Call me out of touch......(Call me Ismael....sorry. I was having a Moby Dick moment).
Seems to me that history does in fact repeat itself. We might not want to acknowledge this view, but I think all we have to do is look around to see what happens when a people remove God from their collective consciousness. Things tend to go South really quick and turn into a nation that has no moral compass. What does this have to do with Recovery or Addiction? Well, I am coming from the view point and belief that the key to recovery is the need to be healed. Healed spiritually, by a Power greater than ourselves. Healed mentally, by a Power who can restore us to sanity. And healed physcially, by a Power that has the ability and authority to do such a work. In my 14+ years of being in a recovery setting, I have seen only one Power who could pull off all three. That Power would be Jesus Christ.
As much as I love the Twelve Steps....the true change in a persons life who is struggling with addiction is found in a person, not a program. That person would be Jesus Christ. It is the infusion of God's Holy Spirit in me through the saving work that Christ offered to me as a result of His death and resurrection that opens the door to my healing. The Twelve Steps is an outline or form that I follow to keep me focused on the task at hand. Just as God gave Israel a "Promised Land" to live in, He has given to me a "Promised life" to occupy. But, like Israel, I have to own this life, fight for this life, and remove all the strongholds the enemy tries to put up to stop me from moving forward with Jesus. It is a battle, but a battle well worth the fight.
Because it is a battle that is fought on many different fronts and in the lives of those who are giving themselves to Jesus, we are called to be in community with like minded people. That is the importance of getting connected with meetings and with a good church. To surround yourselves with people who are in the middle of the battle like yourself. Sharing your stories and your struggles. Receiving prayer and praying for others as you sharpen each other with your victories and counsol each other in your defeats. It's all about the community. That is why the very first word of Step # 1 is "WE"...not "I" or "Me". WE!
I really don't know who stops by this blog to read it. I don't know what you may be struggling with today in your personal life. But I do want you to know this. I pray over each posting each day that God would come to you, right where you are. That He would come with POWER and offer to you what you need for that moment and that day.
Know that God loves you................and so do I.
God on you.....
mb
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