REVISITING THE PATH TO RECOVERY

 Addiction: 

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Romans 7:15 - For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

These two verses show the power and lie that an addiction has over an individual who has started down that slippery slope of using. You can blame the substance all you want, but at the heart of it all is a broken relationship with Christ. A heart that is not connected to the very one who gave it life. A heart that is driven, ruled, and influenced by a nature....a behavior that society refuses to admit to. We call it a sin nature. I don't sit here this morning posting this entry with the idea that I am above such nature. I'm not. I came into this world with the bent in my character...my heart...and my thinking that affected my life. Every human ever born comes equipped with such a nature. You see, it isn't the deeds we do because of this nature that we refer to as sin. Sin is the heart (the center of will, emotion and intellect) of who we are. We carry this death sentence around with us. Some folks are good at not allowing this nature to run rampant (such as drugging and drinking)...other aren't. No matter what the evidence is in your life of that nature....we are all still in need of having that animal destroyed so we could live life on Jesus' terms. So in one sense, recovery is more than simply "not using" or giving into that old desire that captured us in the first place, recovery is establishing a real relationship with Jesus, our Creator.

Recovery - The entire process of healing from the painful effects of dysfunctional behavior. 
Healing....real healing that affects every area of our life comes through a relationship that we come to with Jesus Christ. God created us with a glorious purpose in mind. Sin has warped and twisted that purpose. Recovery is the process of restoring what sin has taken away.

So, bottom line is that the goal of recovery is to live a life of joyful obedience in this relationship we have been given through our salvation with Christ. To maintain abstinence because we want to, not because we have to. Recovery is the process of developing a Christ-honoring lifestyle that meets the needs we tried to satisfy with drugs and/ or alcohol.

All recovery (no matter what the focus of your problem is...drinking...gambling....drugs...sex) begins at the same place..at the same point...with the same confession.
We call it Step # 1!

We admitted that by ourselves, we are powerless over our compulsive behavior (no matter how it may manifest in our life)---that our lives have become unmanageable.

We have looked inside ourselves for the answer to our problem, and we cannot, nor did we, find it. With this reality, we begin the search for the answer to our problem. Until I can admit my need and that I am not the answer to my problem, I can never break free of this beast that controls my life.
Today, know that there is an answer.
There is a Power that can free you.
The Power has a name.
That name is JESUS.

God on you...
mbb

THE REAL DEAL

 

John 15:1 --  "I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman."

Words of Jesus.

Jesus identifies himself along with his relationship with his Father.

He understands the exact nature of his position in the Godhead.
He is the Son and is submissive to the Father.
What the Father asks....

The Son does.

Oh that I could learn and understand my position in Christ.

I fit into this wonderful hierarchy of heaven, based solely on my salvation.
I am a son.
I am an heir.

I am a friend.
I am a servant.

Jesus, in the opening words of John 15, makes an interesting statement.

He says, "I AM the true vine."

Why would he have to say this?
Why would He say this?
Why identify himself?

Because Jesus knew that there were false vines out there.
He could distinguish them, but he knew that we lacked discernment and would fall prey to these "false" vines.

It is written in Romans 10:17 that  faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Do you realize how many voices are out there today all claiming the same thing?

Do you realize how easily people are swayed by the mannerisms and image of those who belong to the false vine?

Jesus simply and clearly states....."Hey guys...I'm the one you're listening for."

"I am the true vine."

Jesus is the complete that my can fill my soul.

Jesus is the complete that can satisfy a hunger that will not go away.

Jesus is the complete that can bring rest to my wandering eyes and feet.

He makes me lie down in green pastures to rest and be restored.

He is the true vine that keeps every promise the Father has spoken.

This is why King David could write, "The Lord is my shepherd...I shall not want."

Do you really understand the words that David wrote?
DO I really understand the words that David wrote?
Read again the words of Ps. 23...

The Lord is my shepherd.....I.....SHALL......NOT......Want.

There is a satisfaction that we do not realize when we come to Jesus.

There is a wholeness that comes to our spirit, soul and body when we come to Jesus.

I....shall....not....want.

Wow!
Father God...
Help me this day to truly realize that I shall not want in this relationship with you.
Lord, I know that it speaks not of material things that would only stir my flesh, but of the eternal things that you have promised to those whose hearts are totally committed to you.

Lord, plant us deep in your vine today and receive the nourishment only you can give.

Thank you...
In Jesus name..

amen!

God on you...

mb

DARE WE CHANGE OUR VIEW AND LIFE TODAY?

 

The beginning of any recovery begins with recognizing how powerless we are because of our dependency on outside influence, be it alcohol or drugs or whatever, to manage the day to day affairs of our live. Living this way really puts the skids on what you and I would refer to as good judgment. The inability to control and make good decisions is only complicated by the fact that in our own minds we don't want to admit to this behavior. We are doing fine. We are just having some set backs. Set backs? We haven't seen these kind of set backs since Uncle Harry refused to get on Cousin Noah's ark. There is a verse associated with this first step and it is found in Proverbs 14:12....
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.


Do you see this? Did you catch that verse? There is a way.........a behavior........an attitude that seems right....its seems socially acceptable..........it appears to make all the sense in the world........but the end result of this way, this decision is headed to only one place.......death, both physically and spiritually. Let's move on!


If we had stopped here at this first step, that would be a pretty hopeless place to pitch our tent. I am grateful that this first step is only the beginning. Each step builds on the other which takes us out of and above our dependencies. So now that I've admitted I am powerless and that my life is unmanageable, what next?


There must be someone or something that can aid me and help me with what seems like these insurmountable living problems I have created. Ahhh! There is help. The Calvary has arrived.
Step#2
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

At the same place we admitted our inability, it is there we began the search (whether we were aware of it or not) to find an answer to our problems. Many of you may be reading this and think that it all sounds like mumbo jumbo or some kind of formula for self help. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If I have a problem and that problem is found within me, why would I think that the answer would also be inside me? You may be reading this and wonder what in the world am I talking about. Let me put it this way. You don't really have an alcohol/drug/dependency problem, you've got a living problem. You have a broken relationship with the one person who possesses the power to help you rise above all the destruction and pain created by your bad choices. That person is Jesus Christ. He is the power that can restore you to sanity. If I am in need of being restored to sanity, what does that say about my current state? It says that I am living a life of insanity. Insanity is the lack of ability to make sound decisions.

The answer to (this sounds so flippant but trust me, it isn't) all our problems is found in Jesus. Not the church, not some pastor (even though I am such an animal) but in Jesus. The church is where I go to hang out with people who are like me, kind of tore up from the floor up and looking to Jesus for the answers to my problems. Let's take a look at what we have so far.
We admitted, by that I mean we are brutally truthful to ourselves and those around us that we are powerless and not able to manage our own lives.

This powerlessness and inability to manage our own life has turned our focus from our self to looking for a power greater than us who can restore us to being able to make sound decisions.

Here are some verses that may help as you take this journey to a new beginning.

Philippians 2:13 - For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure

John 3:17 - For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

Luke 9:56 - For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

Mark 9:23 - And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.

May God richly bless you and lead you into truth...

Mbb

WHERE ARE THE VOICES

 

Ezekiel 44:23
They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and what is unclean.

Seems to me today that there aren't any voices (or at least I am not aware of any) that are speaking about what is holy in our society and what isn't. We seem to have adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude about what is and isn't acceptable for those who are believers. You won't hear a lot of messages about purity and holiness. Why? Because it infringes upon our liberty. The one statement that I hold to is one that I heard years ago. Liberty and freedom does not give you the right to do what you want to do.......if affords you the opportunity to do what you ought to do.

We somehow have the idea that because we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us we can take the attitudes and behaviors of the world and turn then into things that are Holy before God. I don't believe that is the way it works.
Besides, it is easier to rail against the sin of the world, our society, and our culture than it is to turn that light back upon the church.

I don't think God has called us to holiness as a suggestion. I think He truly is jealous for a people who have , like the Apostle Paul wrote, "Been crucified to the world and the world crucified to the His church. Does this mean we neglect teaching against any behavior that rejects God? I think not. But maybe we need to get our own house in order. Think on this today-----Are there things in your life that are displeasing to God? Do you try and justify your actions under the guise of God's grace?

Seek that which is holy and cut off that which isn't.
God on you...........
mb

MAKING THE MOST OF 24

 

Matthew 6:25
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life........

Matthew 6:32
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

I've said it myself when talking with someone about their recovery.
You know what I'm talking about.
"You just need to focus on one day at a time."
We see it on bumper stickers....
Wall plaques........
Throws and pillows....
Notebooks and lapel pins....
"ONE DAY AT A TIME".
But you know what?
I can't think of any thing that is better  at describing the way we all should approach life, not just someone in addiction.

A few years back I went with a friend of mine to do a "Twelve Step" call.
A mutual acquaintance had relapsed and was going off the tracks.
One bad decision led to two bad decisions, and you know the rest of the story.
Anyway, here we were, the three of us, standing outside talking over the situation.
Our relapsed buddy was all remorse and guilty, yet at the same time, he was spinning way out into the future of what all he needed to do. Never mind there was a mess to clean up today....let's get all wrapped around the axle about this weekend, as well as next week.
We quickly reminded him that his only concern was to take care of today.
Do what needed to be done to get back on the right road to recovery.
I told him that if he didn't take care of today, there would not be any "tomorrow" to worry about.

The focus should be on "What do I need to do today?"
Go to meeting? Probably...wouldn't hurt.
Place myself in a setting where I can be accountable? Well, duh? I would say that was a good start.
Do you catch what is going on here.....
All of us....
Sober or drunk, no matter what state you are in, need to focus on today.
"Did I spend time with God?" (Reading His word, listening for His voice). If not, why? Why did I neglect this valuable asset that would aid me in the journey He wants me to follow?

We discount today because of our problems, thinking that if I can simply get through this 24 hours, I'll be able to catch my breath. Well, sometimes that works. But more often than not, those things we have ignored hang around out there in the darkness waiting for tomorrow to get  here so they can rise up and bite with an even more vicious bite. Take the time to take care of your business today.....

Part of our daily "business-taking-care-of" includes watching over our heart and mind. Making sure we haven't allowed any bitterness, resentment or unforgiveness to take root. If we don't removes such character-defect-roots, we will harvest trouble at some point down the road. We do a daily inventory to make sure our lives are free from such. In fact, in Hebrews, we are admonished to not let our hearts go cold and hard to the leading of God.
Hebrews 3:15
Remember what it says (Psalm 95:7-8) "Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts" as Israel did whey they rebelled.
Get it?
Today....
One day at a time....
Stay focused and always be listening for God to speak to you.
You'll know it's Him because He will always instruct you to do the things you don't really want to do.
Remember....
All you have to do is take care of today.

God on you....
mbb

THE ARE OF HEAVENLY CONTENTMENT

 

RE-POST FROM 2015

Philippians 4  (The Message Bible)
Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quiet content whatever my circumstances. I'm just happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the ONE who makes me who I am. 

Stopping for a moment to ruminate on life.
Not looking for answers, or pontificating on the meaning of our existence. I'll leave that to minds that are more intelligent that my noodle.
Just looking back over my journey of years.
Wishing I could do somethings different, but fully realizing that had I been able to, it would have probably changed who I am today. So, I don't think I am going to paddle down that creek.

Very grateful for people I've met along the way....
Got a call from one of them today. He got a bad report after having an exam by his family doctor. Lung cancer. Seems as though the cancer didn't originate in the lungs, but has spread at this time. As he told me the news, his voice was lite and filled with hope. He didn't like hearing that his body had been invaded but, at the same time, he wasn't going to pack up and move to the land of depression and gloom. His take was that he would face it one day at a time. Celebrate the good days...and hang on to make it through the bad. I want to be like my friend. Have a total understanding that life happens on this side of heaven. Good people get cancer. Bad people seem to skate through every bad thing that happens. Good people get their drivers license and go to the store for their mother. Bad people get drunk and hit said good person head on killing them. Bad people go away without a scratch. I want what Paul wrote about in the Philippians passage. The ability to rest in Jesus, and by doing so find a heavenly contentment that doesn't make sense to an earthly mind.

A contentment that has a foundation that cannot be shaken by earthly situations or circumstances. One that allows our steps to be sure and steady even though the path we're on seems to be experiencing mega-quakes bent on unsettling us, and knocking us off our journey with Jesus. I want that kind of contentment.

Sometimes, I wish God had written or spoke out about having a spiritual "Backbone".
I'm not so sure such backbone isn't a part of the giftings of the Holy Spirit. A kind of grit and mindset (not to mention heart set) that speaks to us saying, "Dig your heels in and stand firm in the strength of the Lord....this thing your facing won't last forever." All part of being content. Oh yeah....by the way, contentment doesn't mean you are happy or joyful about your current state of life....it just means that your o.k., knowing that it is a temporary thing you are facing. Face, everything is temporary when it comes to following an eternal God. Hmmmm. Maybe that is part of what contentment is all about. 

God on you....
mbb

 

There seems to be two camps among the faithful.
One is about a pain-free God.
The other is about a pain-filled God.
I think maybe the real truth of the matter is found somewhere in the middle.
That there is a God who leads His children through what we have come to know as "Life".
Life happens.
It's messy.
It's fun.
It's happy and sad (sometimes at the same time).
It's hard and you want to run away.
It's satisfying and you want to live forever.
It's call life.
And in the middle of it is this voice. The voice of the Lord bidding (calling) those who would, come. Simply come to Him.
As Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote......Christ bids us to come and die. Nothing more. For in the dying we find true life.


Upon the shoulders of this one we call CHRIST....resides the Spirit of the Lord. He was chosen and sent here to this world to preach the gospel to the poor. Poor in material possession. He was sent and equipped to heal the brokenhearted. Those who had lost hope and wandered aimlessly at the mercy of the master of this world.


Jesus was sent to proclaim with a loud voice and with deeds and signs that let it be known beyond any doubt that God had, in fact, invaded time and space and declared war on the kingdom of darkness.


Jesus came to take back sight and give it to the blind..........both those who had lost their actual ability to see and those who were taken into spiritual darkness.


He had the ability to set free those who were oppressed. They may be held down by the system of this world, but nothing..........no government, no group, no ruler can ever bind and stop the spirit of God inside of a believer.


Jesus proclaimed that this was the acceptable and favorable year of the Lord.

Thank you Lord for life and I pray that I seek you out at every turn today so that I can follow your direction and live life in the manner you desire me to.
Blessed be your name,
and may you bless everyone who has stopped by Greene Street today.
In Jesus name....
Amen.

God on you..........
mb