Read through each step carefully with your Christian sponsor or within your Christian group.
step 1: We admitted our weaknesses.
Read the Psalms below to confirm that you acknowledge Step 1. Read out loud with your Christian group or with your sponsor.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sickness, addiction and folly.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbour’s stay far away.
(Psalm 38: 5-11)
The Lord is close to the broken hearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34: 18)
My sacrifice Oh God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
(Psalm 51: 17)
The above Psalms were written many thousands of years ago and are still prevalent today. The Bible has the ability to transform those that engage within these Biblical Psalms. ‘Bound down and brought very low’. ‘My friends and family avoid me because of my wounds’. ‘There is no health in my body’ are quotes still significant, particularly for those of us who have an addictive past. Saint Paul in his Biblical letter to the Romans tells us;
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity,
(Ephesians 4: 17-19)
Addiction swaggers along in an undisciplined life. That bad energy struts around inside us. Those who continually give in to their cravings instead of exercising God’s restraint, rather they impose self-restraint, become weak and vulnerable to temptation. We know very well that self-restraint is a non-existent entity when up against addiction. White knuckle rides are a worthless attempt to shoo away such a powerful illness. We must have God’s strength so we can build on God’s platform for our lives.
Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.
I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
(Psalm 7: 14-17)
The word ‘pregnant’ gives other connotations like child-bearing, expectant, meaningful and positive vibes concerning life giving, when we were precisely the opposite. Nevertheless, we understand what they are trying to say here, that the negative energy is alive and active within us. It is about being ballooned with evil where there is no room for good. Now-a-days however, we learn to give thanks because our turning has begun, where we can sing with praise for our soon to be newfound freedom. Saint Paul in Galatians 5 tells us that;
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5: 19-26)
Selwyn Hughes in his Bible Study book highlights that self-control is relegated to 9th position in the Fruits of the Spirit list that we see in the above Scripture. Self-control comes last behind the other 8 that are, according to Saint Paul, more prevalent than the need to control ourselves. It is interesting that God places self-control last, when we tried to get sober by ourselves self-control was at the top of our list! We craved self-control. With white knuckles, anx and the like, we set on a course of action determined never to drink, drug, indulge, gamble or overeat again. Having God in our lives on the other hand, we see that self-control is a byproduct of having Jesus in our lives, it just happens without any pressure bulb being set off by our own determined thinking. ‘When you begin with love, you end up with self-control’ (Every Day with Jesus p191). The love Selwyn Hughes is referring to is Jesus.
Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
The Lord protects and preserves them
they are counted among the blessed in the land
He does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.
(Psalm 41: 1-3)
Modern Psychology
Modern psychology often excuses addiction with social backgrounds, genetics and neurology that can come from our parentage or upbringing. While these can be tributary factors, Christian counselling focuses on the spiritual root causes of addiction, which takes a look at the old adage ‘sin’ and how we overcome it. I have forgotten how many times I have read terms like ‘universal heartbeat’ or ‘the heartbeat of the universe’ where psychologists have seen a living condition that has pulse amongst the greater energy of the cosmos. They miss the point however, of recognizing that the same heartbeat was crushed on the cross at Calvary. We too smash our own hearts with our impulsive addictions creating physical ailments, high blood pressure and mental health problems via self-will.
Christianity suggests that the primary root of addiction is idolatry, which is placing something above God and seeking satisfaction and escape in the addictive substance rather than in Him. Addiction is idolatry because it demands devotion, time and priority over God’s commands. Far too often, I hear that ‘a lack of self-control is another key factor of addictive behaviour’. When underneath the preliminaries suggested by professionals, we know damn well that self-control simply does not exist when up against this dark world. Under the umbrella of faith, the old social yard stick from which we gauged our ability not to drink or drug must be ditched, and we finally admit complete defeat. The interim battle with routines, gym visits, the right books and life choices are a long-forgotten ideal. We can’t, God can, is our only option. White knuckles with clenched fists while being determined to win the race has been swapped with a realization that God can do what we never could. It is only with God’s help that we win the race. There is of course a paradox here; when we stop for a moment and see the path that we are now on, and we know that we are travelling along life’s journey with just a tad more peace, we come to terms that God has the ability to help us change from the old to the new.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to addiction; and our addiction, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth. (James 1: 13-18)
Cantalamessa tells us in his book ‘Life in Christ’.
The world has lost its sense of sin. It treats it lightly, as if it were the most innocent of things. It advertises its products and activities with images of sin to make them more attractive. (P102)
If Jesus died for our sins, and if sin has no meaning, then He died for nothing because we fail to acknowledge sin anymore. On the other hand, perhaps the word has lost its meaning because it doesn’t translate in the way it used to in previous generations.
Within our hearts of hearts, so to speak, we know Jesus died for our ‘sin’, which is addiction, greed, gluttony, sexual immorality and so on. We don’t have to see death anymore, which is our new and ultimate bottom line. Our old self will die on the cross with Jesus, and we continue on in our newness, our resurrection with Him too.
Jesus drew a line in the sand, and it’s best we don’t cross it. We need words of course and I personally still use the word sin, but it does appear that the translation to what ‘sin’ really means is clearly stated by Jesus. In other parts of the Bible it tells us again that drunkenness, gluttony, greed and so on are all sin.
To complete Step 1 we must;
List your weaknesses (addictions) and admit each one to a Christian sponsor. You can add a sentence or two to verify your dysfunctional behaviour. Once you have completed step 1, we must move on to Step 2 right away. There is no point in pondering over this boggy mess for too long. We are much better placed in handing these obsessions over to God.
For the waywardness of the addict will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to God will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm. (Proverbs 1: 32-33)
STEP 2: Came to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5: 10)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4: 1-4)
Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
(Psalm 4: 1)
My son/daughter do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favour and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
(Proverbs 3: 1-8)
“Too meet love in isolation, when we thought we were alone”
Saint Paul, in his Biblical letter to the Romans provides a message of hope, pointing to a spiritual solution that takes us beyond the point of selfish sufficiency, and toward God’s-assurance.
Those who live according to their addiction have their minds set on what their sickness desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by substance abuse is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by our addiction is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the illness cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of your addiction but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of your addiction, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. (Romans 8: 5-10)
This timeless passage for addicts tells us that when we have our minds set on our desires (addictions), we become subject to death that separates us from the power of God. We had the will to do what is right, but at the same time we also had a predisposition to do what brought us into captivity of what-ever problem we had. All addicts know that once the obsession takes hold, there is nothing that can stop us from carrying on. We submit to our addictive behaviour, when we should sort out God by prayer and discussion with Christians. The obsession is too much for us when on our own devices, but with God all things are possible. The above scripture tells us that ‘those who are in the realm of the illness cannot please God’, which seems harsh, especially when the illness is governed by self-pity. When in the ruts of the self we could argue what God should say, rather to what He does say.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, an addict.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18: 9-14)
Many of us were right at this place explained by Jesus, where we pleaded with Him to take this from us, a place we could not handle ourselves. ‘Beat his breast’ is the release of anger almost like self-harming, which we did in abundance.
A new believer in Jesus Christ, often called a ‘fledgling’, should seek to grow in their relationship with God through prayer, scripture, Bible study while also connecting with a strong faith-based church and community for support and fellowship. Saint Paul in this Bible verse describes our fledgling state of mind regarding our new faith perfectly.
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. (1 Corinthians 3: 1-3)
At this early stage it is important to remain committed to Gods guidance and to understand that you are on a journey of continuous transformation, and not an instant fix. We must be the seed that falls on the good soil, and not the seed that springs up quickly only to wither away to nothing. We’ve held on to resolutions in the past, but to no avail and all were short lived.
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
(Mark 4: 3-9)
Jesus gathered His disciples and explained the above parable to them.
Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” (Mark 4: 13-20)
The Christian paradox here is that we can be fixed instantly from our past transgressions, but we must continue to grow spiritually when moving toward our new life in the Lord. Jesus cures us from addiction instantly. Having thus being placed in a vulnerable place with no crutch to lean on, we run our race of endurance toward God’s word. One day at a time begins now, or as Jesus says, ‘give us this day, our daily bread’. Once the initial high has settled you may experience challenges and temptations. The obsession to return to your previous way of life may have left you already, but we remain observant and prepared all day every day to avoid new temptations, or the old ones returning to haunt us again.
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” (Mathew 12: 43-45)
That’s certainly how it was with us when active in our addictions. How many times had I sobered up only to find all things much harder to deal with. I cleaned house, or so I thought, only for 7 evil spirits to take me down again. The spirits took shape in all kinds of people, places and things. Bills to pay hitting the door mat, neighbours, old so-called friends, car tax renewal, doctor appointments and more. Allowing Jesus in, and those same 7 Spirits disappeared without trace. I still have bills to pay, but the power that they had over me is gone. It is remarkable. It’s an inside job. Whoever knocks on the door of my life now-a-days, how wonderful it is that the best Jesus I can be answers the door, instead of my old self.
Now you have made your decision. Let’s jump into a time machine and return to say for example, 1850’s London, and there you will attempt to explain what it would be like in the future. You are simply trying to enlighten people about what’s to come. While in Victorian London you are standing on an orange box, and a small crowd gathers around you where you begin to explain radio waves, satellites, moon landings, mobile phones, television, or the mechanics of a modern racing car or even a washing machine. You wouldn’t last long would you! How on earth would you explain a rocket engine? Let’s bring the designer and the engineering drawings with us to explain in detail what is going on within the annals of a moon landing, and then some people would still not believe. There are those who don’t believe now-a-days after having witnessed the moon landings by the very people who went there. For evidence Apollo 11, after landing on the moon, left behind Retroreflectors (mirrors) on the landing sites. These reflectors allow laser beams to be reflected back to earth from a particular point on the moon, which is evidence. With the growth of recent conspiracy theories, a NASA scientist confirmed that there were over 22000 sets of drawings involved with the first moon landing, each detailing the smallest parts to the largest engine, and they are all interlinked. All these plans are being held in a museum in NASA. He stated that it would be impossible to fake these engineering master pieces to simply pretend that we went to the moon. He also made it quite clear that knowing the fundamentals of rocket science once the rocket has landed can be obtained and understood by many people after the event; but piecing it together beforehand is a completely different concept. The engineer’s imagination must be fired within a community. Communal trial and era are paramount, and accidents happen under such circumstances. Within the 1850’s crowd there would be some who would look up at the moon and nod in agreement that one day we will reach such heights. Others laugh, suggest that you are insane, and shower you with rotten tomatoes; whereas still others would wave fists while shouting be off with you. Knowing in your heart that what you are saying is true, but in your utter dismay you see only a few believe. For many decades the plans and data would be kept in a vault of some kind, to be revealed many years later when someone works it all out and has a eureka moment. You on the other hand return home defeated, but you are the one that still has faith. Others fail and become deflated but not you, you remain in the power that saves, Amen. It is you regarding this new life that knows your new future and truth, and no one else can really feel what you are feeling no matter how much you try to explain to others what is going on. You must simply cherish this newness and continue on in the Word of God, which is your future. There are some that have been through the same before and you recognize their smile because they actually do know what you are going through and the relief that you are feeling. You will, as time goes on, get to meet more and more Christians with similar stories, some worse and others not so, but all have found the same true God and all can rest in the peace He provides. Those that failed to believe you and your new future fall by the wayside and you never need to deal with them again. As harsh as it may seem we are told not to throw our pearls to pigs, which means we do not need to explain our new faith to those who may insult you in return.
do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7: 6).
The pearls are the Words from God, the pigs are, I’m afraid, our old friends who simply will not believe what we say and may tempt us back to our old ways, particularly if we have any doubts still wandering inside our thinking.
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20: 24-29)
Doubt is a hinderance that a fledgling Christian could do without. It is however, one emotion that often thwarts a newcomer. In time the Bible can overcome your doubts. In time, the bible becomes such an overwhelming force the doubts simply slip away without too much fighting. The more we read and discuss the Bible the more we become enveloped in our newfound faith.
Individual eureka moments expressed by each of us the moment a sudden insight or discovery has been made, like when you realize your enraged insanity is being untangled and that you can really feel that you have a way out. Many times, I would stare out of the window, Bible on the table in front of me, only to think I never knew a person could feel such freedom, it really is a revelation.
To begin, it may seem that all you are doing is reading another book that will help you with your problems, but underneath you know, kind of, that there is something special to be had when you grasp the idea of Jesus as your saviour. This type of love is tangible, it makes a seriously and very real sense of freedom that feels beyond words, when it isn’t, it is very much Words. It will eventually become within us written in our hearts and stamped on our soul, a makeup of God Words that we must consume to defy life as we once knew it.
You have found a way out and you begin to feel different, freer with space in your head for more of those words that only the other day made no sense what-so-ever. The entanglement of a muddle of spilled words like tipping out a 1000-piece puzzle, which begins to take shape, they become orderly and put in place.
Knowledge is a sustainable pyramid with Jesus being the word made flesh binding its foundation. The Bible was the first book that created the demand to build printing presses in the various historical forms that they took, forever growing in knowledge right up to the present-day printers that many of us have in our homes. It is certainly from Jesus where this knowledge grew from. The demand for His word was the key that gave humanity its initial intellectual growth. Oxford and Cambridge universities initially developed through the essence of having faith in Jesus. Those pioneers were Christians. Everything beyond the Bible is an add-on, a prerequisite to the faith. All modern-day knowledge is a precondition of the Bible finding its way first.
The book of John tells us that Jesus was the ‘word made flesh’. This statement alone allows us to move away from hand-me-down cultural knowledge passed from grand-parents to children, to a far more in-depth knowledge where data becomes king. The written word overriding our culture and moral outlook is paramount. We become far more creative in our thinking. Of course, we still want our teams to win whatever sporting event that is on at the moment, but with far less gravity. We do not idolize them anymore because the higher narrative has entered into our hearts. Flags, nationality, music, clothes, food all take second place once the Lord has entered the equation. We don’t ignore such things; they just take a back seat rather than the dominant place that they had before our conversion. Jesus says it does not matter what we eat or what we wear, it is the words that we consume that makes us what we have become.
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. (Luke 12: 22-23)
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12: 31)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1: 14)
No more ISM
Now-a-days we tend to think through the world of ISM’s, which is a word in its own right. According to some dictionaries the word ‘ism’ means to theories the word it follows, and we are all full of it. Socialism; Alcoholism; Facism; Feminism even Thatcherism after the 1979 UK Prime Minister, are all discussions that go on and on without end. There are many more keeping us busy and when we side with one ISM, we become adamant the other is wrong, to the point of death in some cases. Feminism opposed Thatcherism for example – a world divided. Socialism against fascism – a world divided. We point the finger at racism, but fail to acknowledge our own dislikes, fears and discomfort zones – a world divided. We side with a personal ISM; a narrative that does not and cannot compete with the Bible. All Ism’s weaken the resolve of the beholder. Jesus tells us;
So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. (Mark 3: 23-26)
Ism’s are the evidence of a world divided. The Bible on the other hand, is a life saver, literally, when ISM’s are bound up with opinion and ideology where the user believes that their ideals are paramount and correct.
We’ve tried life our way in the world of ISM and the results were inevitable. Paul’s eventual deliverance through Jesus Christ provides a message of hope, pointing to a spiritual solution that stretches far beyond political opinion and self-righteousness. Jesus is the physician.
“On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but addicts.” (Matthew 9: 12)
Having God on our side while facing our addictions, while we process the first 2 steps, we also become aware of how powerless we are. We realize that no matter how strongly we might try to will ourselves in a certain direction, only to find that we are not able to carry that out on a consistent basis. We find ourselves back to the same old devastating behaviours that we have grown accustomed to, that were so much a part of our lives. In our “fleshy desires”, we are not able to carry out the demands of our own self will; even though we may want to, all we learn is how self-destructive our addictive nature actually is. We have been powerless over our addictive weaknesses, and our lives have become unmanageable. Now is the time to correct this mess that we found ourselves in. Jesus heals us from addiction through a process of His spiritual transformation, redemption, and finally the renewal of our minds. This healing is not just about breaking a powerful addiction, it’s about restoring the whole person toward a new direction, a new pathway paved by God.
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to addiction; and craving, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15)
The Bible verse here warns against being enslaved to addiction and destructive habits. Jesus stated in John 8: 34, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Addiction operates in the same manner, it entangles an individual in a cycle of their addiction (sin), often leading to physical and emotional bondage that destroys any sense of belonging. When in the horrors of addiction, you belong to the substance and not God. It is God that has to let go when the sickness takes control.
The desire for fleshy pleasure parts us from God. Many people slip and slide into addiction because they are seeking temporary relief from stress, loneliness, personal history, failure, guilt, shame and pain. We all know, however, that earthly pleasures are short-lived and lead to destruction leaving the same defects hinged and still attached. They remain in our head no matter how hard we try to shake them off with our own strength, our own self-will. Sinful indulgences bring temporary fulfilment, but they always leave the soul empty and the flesh craving for more. The cycle never ends until God intercedes for us. God must upload the words into our minds to uphold our very lives. We of course must read what is on offer and play our part in our newfound sobriety.
Addiction swaggers in an undisciplined life. Those who rely on self will continually give in to their cravings, instead of exercising God’s will their restraint becomes weak and defenseless while submitting to pressures of addiction. To grow in His likeness, you must have His words. There are no alternatives. On coming to believe in Jesus, it is imperative that we identify with the Bible as a source of loving energy that can guide us toward change, a transformation that will head us into a completely different direction.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
(Hebrews 4: 12-13)
The Bible is a personal message from God to you. To personalize the Bible to your situation, which is happening right now, you must connect to God’s message, which will detach you from the sickness that you are trying to overcome. The mindset that makes you use alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, lust, fear can be overcome. It is important that you read each word as though God is writing to you alone. You must absolutely know that God wants you well.
It is far too easy to say we are all sinners, which is true, but here you must focus attention on your defective ego that makes you pick up time and again, when all along you know it is not a good idea to do so. When full of self, we die in our transgressions. In the letter to the Romans Saint Paul tells us;
We are those who have died to our addictions; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by our addictions might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to our drug of choice because anyone who has died has been set free from addiction. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died or us once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to addictions but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let alcohol or drugs reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to drugs as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For addiction shall no longer be your master, because you are under grace. (Romans 6: 2-14)
Coming to believe in Jesus is a wonderful thing. Our whole thought processes change and alas we change too from the roller coaster ride of life to something far more stable. We embark on a new life geared toward a refreshed freedom that, at the moment, we can hardly believe. Jesus tells us that He has come to heal us directly and personally.
For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2: 11-14)
Release from addiction begins with Jesus, forgiveness and true repentance. Confessing our addictions before God and genuinely turning away from it is the first 2 steps toward recovery.
Whoever conceals their addiction does not prosper,
but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
(Proverbs 28: 13-14)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 4-7)
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn and confirmed
that I will keep Your righteous judgments.
I am severely afflicted, O LORD,
revive me through Your word.
Accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
and teach me Your judgments.
(Psalm 119: 105-108)
“for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
(Romans10: 13)
Do you call on the name of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Affirm your answer before continuing.
To you, Lord, I call;
you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.
(Psalm 28: 1-2)
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36: 25-27)
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6: 68-69)
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4: 15-18)
When all avenues have failed, faith in Jesus offers a source of profound hope and a belief that recovery is finally possible, even when everything else seemed hopeless. Jesus on the other hand is far from hopeless but full of Grace and Truth.
As for you, you were dead in your addictions, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of addiction who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our obsessionsand following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our addictions, it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2: 1-5)
For far too long we felt isolated, alone and disconnected from friends, family and society in general. Our cop out was to hate society back, until our rock bottom became our best advocate. Turning your will and life over to Jesus will provide a powerful sense of belonging. At long last, we have a gist that we are combating the addiction and behaviours that has surrounded us for what feels like an eternity. Jesus becomes the counterforce to the chaotic nature that was us. We set our hearts and minds on His story, rather than our own, which has occupied our heads forever. We set our hearts on Jesus and relinquish all perceptions and impulses that will send us off in varying directions. We pray every morning and evening from this moment on that God will guide us through any dilemma that we may have to face. God will direct us and lead us on toward a more sturdy, compassionate and loving life.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5: 16)
From this moment forward we must remember it is about what He has done and not what we are doing. To transfer our thinking, we must enter into that age old narrative the Bible. While holding on to Gods word we expose our histories and behaviours that had previously hindered our spiritual growth. We enter into a moment of deep loyalty where we affirm that Jesus alone offers truth and salvation. We make this grand decision before we delve into our past (Step 4) with Jesus standing beside us and monitoring our every word. When travelling through our childhood we tend to walk fast like walking on hot coals, but with Jesus holding our hands we slow down, feel safe and protected and allow Him to guide us through each room of that old house where we grew up. We see all those people from our past and we allow Jesus to deal with all of it with His patience, love and peace.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of waters,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither
whatever they do prospers.
(Psalm 1: 1-3)
‘Dead’ seems to be a rather strong word, when we are reading this very book to get well, although when we think about it, we were certainly spiritually dead, but not physically…not yet. It is imperative that we see the physical and the spiritual as separate entities, just as Jesus did when He released Legion from the spirit that had taken him captive. (Mark 5: 8)
All of us have a moment when we realize something special has happened. The birth of our children, marriage, a special friend, moving to a new home after years of scrimping and saving, and yet none of it kept us sober or sane. Eventually, within time, we were back at that terrible place full of self-pity. We have favourite sports stars, singers, actors, writers, even politicians and yet none of them could solve our dilemma when up against our addictions. All of it was wrapped up in idiolatry as the Bible suggests, which is certainly not good for us. The enthusiasm to learn, read great books, play sports, play a musical instrument, learn another language all take second place in comparison. School teachers, doctors, psychiatrists, team coaches, family members, best friends and not one could make us see sense when up against our compulsions. Everything was sidelined once our addictive behaviour took over. The essence of all this disobedience against God is ‘sin’. After all, it is God who puts these people, places and things on the earth through creation and yet nothing worked. None of it gives any importance to saving a soul, because in the modern world, particularly in psychology, apparently, we don’t have one. ‘Natural man’ is the nowadays term that suits much of society far better than some illusion about a God given soul; an external Holy Spirit that I must invite in through redemption, which is all bound up with churchy type ceremony of some sort. We can delve in to our sub-conscious with modern psychological help developing links to our neurosis where the so-called illusions of God originate from. Once inside our heads with a professional psychologist, we can tamper with the hidden treasures that we will no doubt find, and with the help of modern-day medicine we can dissect these disturbing childhood characteristics and move on in life. Oh my word, do people really believe this as an answer when up against addiction.
“Though the light has come into the world, people have preferred darkness to the light”. (John 13: 19)
He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from foes too mighty for me.
They confronted me in my day of calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into the open;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
(Psalm 18: 16-19)
Having God in our lives helps us listen to a much cleaner clearer voice, which is like a continuing harmonious musical note where we put our rhythm to His word. We begin to get the impulsive beat from the heart of Jesus.
The Bible tells us to have ‘many advisors’, we make sure however, that they are from the correct source, ie God. In one sense, God abandons us, or should I say allows us to sin in our addictions until we can’t cope. God lets that happen because we have free will and can do what the hell we want right up to the point of death, and more. I heard an addict say in a 12 step meeting that ‘there are addicts wandering around in the graveyard that don’t know they are dead yet’. How awful is that! The ultimate consequence of an illness, which is clearly linked to divine wrath. Having said this, be rest assured, God is not ok with it all, hence His son Jesus Christ died for this very reason, to bridge the gap between God and man. He has given us somewhere to go, which is visible, (when seeing more mature Christians), loveable as a true and everlasting feeling, which is us connecting our hearts and minds, meaning our emotional state is aligned with the universal creator.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10: 9-10)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12: 1-2)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1: 18)
Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord”. (1 Corinthians 1: 26-31)
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest. (Hebrews 4: 1-3)
When we truly consider the time of our calling, when we found God, it is often when we share at meetings, we find the courage to grass up our histories. There is a saying that I heard many times ‘what was it like, what happened and what it’s like now’? They are referring to our lives as they were compared to as they are now. The difference is paramount, particularly when Jesus is at the helm. To be sure regarding Step 3, let’s remember what God said concerning ‘one day at a time’
Therefore, since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4: 6-7)
To harden our hearts generally means that we return to our old ways. We are now in a situation where the decision is made for us by God. We know we need a softer heart, which will allow His word to enter into our new lives.
Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves.
(Leviticus 23: 28-32)
It can appear rather harsh that God will “cut off from their people” those that do not practice self-denial. I’m afraid however, that’s what happens until we learn how to redeem our inner selves with ‘self-denial’ as the Scripture says. God allows us to be ‘cut off from people’. When in our addictions we are separated from our friends and families, and the very people that will help us to find more peaceable lives through Jesus Christ our Lord. We must understand that we cannot be in the throes of our addiction and be with God at the same time, one has to give way. Again, as the Scripture says, “you must deny yourselves”.
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From His temple He heard my voice;
my cry came before Him, into His ears.
(Psalm 18: 2-4)
The Lord is my light and my salvation
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life
of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord,
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
(Psalm 27: 1-9)
To complete Step 2 say the prayer below, preferably with your group or sponsor to confirm your newfound belief.
Lord Jesus, I give you my whole self.
I offer you my heart, mind, body, and soul to you Lord Jesus.
I ask that you to enter into my life and heal me with your power.
Transform me Lord to be more like you.
Guide me Lord to your Word that I may be free from all my afflictions. Amen
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
For you, God, have heard my vows;
(Psalm 61: 1-5)
STEP 3: Made a Christian moral inventory of ourselves.
Read the Scriptures and the Psalm below to confirm that you acknowledge Step 3. Read out loud with your Christian group or your sponsor.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
(Psalm 51: 1-2)
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. (Luke 12: 2-3)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence;
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
(Psalm 51: 10-12)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust”.
Surely, He will deliver you
from the snare of the fowler,
and from the deadly plague.
He will cover you with His feathers,
under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the calamity that destroys at noon.
Though a thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand,
no harm will come near you.
(Psalm 91: 1-7)
As Christians we must take a moral inventory of ourselves, which allows us to carry on growing with His word. We get rid of our own words and sentences leaving room in our heads for His words. The idea is centuries old and is certainly supported by biblical passages that emphasize self-examination, confession and repentance. It is a basic common spiritual principal for growth in faith and an understanding of our new relationship with God. This practice involves honestly examining our earlier life, identifying defective areas, and using this self-reflection to nurture repentance, gain freedom and build a closer relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. The resentments caused by what happened to us are still with us living rent free in our heads manifesting and reshaping our personalities. What happened in the past cannot be changed. How we deal with it ‘Today’ can. We must uncover all those resentments.
First, we must find someone from outside our close friends like a church member, Christian counsellor or mentor who can spend time discussing with us what went on to cause such resentments. If you honestly feel that a small group would work then that’s fine, as long as trust and prayer is at the forefront of the groups’ thinking.
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18: 19-20)
Many of us were hurt physically, mentally and even sexually by an older and stronger person who bullied us into submission and silence. We held on for years festering a powerless and hopeless state of mind. We were, and still can be in fact, wrapped in a mental strait jacket having no way out of this circular festering maze. Round and around our thinking travels picking up debris like a hurricane building up garbage to ultimately destroy us in the process. Having our past ‘re-sent’ to us is precisely what resentment is. With the way our minds work we develop those that hurt us in the past to almost Dickensian type ogres. Some were ogres, but they cannot reside in our heads any longer. They must go and God will get rid of them for us. We ask God to remove these characters from within us, to move them to His universal realm light years from our heads.
To reshape our personalities from our inner thoughts to God’s, we must release the fear that has built up inside our heads over the years. Resenting our loved ones also, who we hoped would pull us out of the hell we were in. Our mothers, fathers, husband, wives, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and friends were not always there for us, and we never told a soul what went on during that awful period in our lives. We moved away from those that loved us because we couldn’t deal with what we thought were their shortcomings. Fear took hold and where there is fear love cannot reside. How cruel is this truth? We feel that we did nothing wrong and yet our thinking has been so distorted it is like we hardly had any life at all.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18)
Discuss where you were fearful and how fear led to such a traumatic life.
What happened. Who was you frightened of?
Once you have discussed your past, prepare a piece of A4 paper and align 3 columns with a pen. At the top of the first column write ‘I am resentful at’, the second ‘the cause’ and the third ‘My part’.
To begin, list the names of all those that have hurt you, and the names of family and friends who you resented. You must list names first without any reservations. Leave a gap of 4 lines between each name allowing room to write down the cause in the second column beside each name. Remember, keep it simple and list names first writing downward. Listing the names first is essential. Under the cause column write one or two sentences beside each name should suffice. In the last column write down your part for each resentment. Were you frightened, inconsiderate, dishonest or self-seeking
Taking a moral inventory helps Christians identify and address areas of why we drank or drugged in the first place. It helps us with the bitter pill that we took every day of our saddening lives. It helps too with getting rid of our resentments, which enables us to grow in our faith, make amends, and move toward a more positive and transformed life. Recognizing that we played a part in our childhood traumas can be difficult, but we must remember that ‘our part’ does not mean ‘our fault’. Perhaps being frightened, which rendered us fearful and silent, could have been the only part we played. This being the case we simply write down on our list the word frightened beside the person and resentment that made you feel that way. Being frightened may have been the only part you played in something that happened when you were a child. That is YOUR PART. No action needed to be applied, only your emotion at the time.
| I am resentful at | The Cause | My part |
| Simon Smith | He stole from me at school and bullied me. He also told lies about me. | Frightened, (he scared me) Dishonest (I never told my parents or the teacher) |
| Harry Jones | Flirting with my girlfriend. Said bad things about me. | Frightened, (he was aggressive) |
| Girlfriend | She laughed at me with Harry | Self-seeking. controlling Inconsiderate. I yelled at my girlfriend for listening to Harry. |
| Mum | She said it never happened | Self-seeking Frightened |
| Dad | He never listened to me | Dishonest Frightened |
| The bank | Cancelled my over draft | Dishonest Self-seeking |
| Water company | Took me to court for non payment | Dishonest Self-seeking |
Step 3 diagram above
We look at dishonesty because we held it in for many years without telling a soul, which is dishonesty. Look further at how inconsiderate we were when we raged and angered our way through various disagreements. Of course, it’s very difficult to see how we had any part in the awful things that had happened to us in the past, but we must search out the fear it caused, and why we kept it to ourselves for so long.
As we can see in the above table, we looked at corporations too, where did the banks deny our requests and insurance companies failed to pay out. Bills fluttered through our letter boxes causing resentment and anger.
Past tantrums were created by a bad spirit, which stayed with us for all these years governing our every move. All those festering histories building up a character that you actually disliked but somehow tolerated. Looking away from the mirror, disheveled, while our thinking shapes our very personalities by past misdemeanors. We become endured by loved ones and friends who roll their eyes on our approach. Many years ago, on approaching my parents’ front door to pay a visit, resentment would already be with me before they had answered it. Defensive mechanism took hold and I would often leave early after making an excuse and ensuring that they knew how well things were going for me. The same with friends who saw through my fixed grin with their ‘what’s the matter’ questions.
Once the cause of our problem, or root if you like, is found residing in our own heads we entrench words and behaviours to out this negative force once and for good. Anger, rage and resentment were our lot. We write down every name going back through our lives as far as we can remember.
On completing our list we highlight the key words under the fear column, and finding a new sheet of paper we write down a prayer using God words directly from The Bible.
The pains of life will bite and wound for a little while longer, but will soon be at an end. The devil within will now be gasping for breath knowing that the end of bitterness and burden is very near. Your lesions will heal with only harmless scars left as reminders. God will make it happen. He has risen! Jesus will remove your past transgressions and you, in the spiritual sense, be ressurected too.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12: 2)
Stay within the vibrant range of God’s voice that generates through the Bible and into our hearts. Keep a Bible close by on a table you often use and discipline yourself to pick it up for at least thirty minutes every day. In doing this you will read through from cover to cover in a year. Join a church, and once you’ve gotten to know a few in the congregation join a home group and a Bible study group. Take advise from those that know the Bible and act on it, remembering always that the Bible is not here to enhance our knowledge, but to transform our lives. Listen to God’s heartbeat through the Word of Jesus. Relying on God’s word reacts in us like metal being pulled toward a powerful magnet. We cannot see the forces at work, but we know they are there running through us and around us, it’s called The Holy Spirit. Let go let God, stop fighting the flow of movement that is now within you. Face the right way in the stream of life and flow towards God’s grace.
That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angryand do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4: 20-27) We are told here by Saint Paul in the New Testament. ‘Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry’, which clearly says we must take inventory at the end of each day before we retire at night. We immediately feel better and lighter, our sleep returns once our inventory has been given up in Step 3 and 4, but we must prevail, because even after such an immediate event the whole truth may take a few more days or even years to finally come out of our mouths. The origin and consequences have been realized, and the main will be gone at Step 4, and we will feel so much better. We must realize, however, that there is more to do. The main junk has been written down, but the debris clings on to the dark caverns of our minds and could take more God time to finally be shot of. We must hang on in there and continue with our respective churches or Christian counsellors and continue the race of perseverance to the end, feeling freer and better as we go. Jesus has the light, the torch that searches through our opened minds where He can find any dark caverns and old cobwebs that need dusting down and dealing with. When our past re-appears in the future, spill it out of your mouth immediately to your Christian friends and remain free, Amen.
STEP 4: Confessed our afflictions.
Read the Psalm and scripture below to confirm that you acknowledge Step 4. Read out loud with your Christian group or your sponsor.
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose addictions are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose past cravings the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my addictions to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.
And you forgave
the guilt of my iniquity”.
(Psalm 32: 1-5)
This is a formidable passage that speaks to us about the cleansing power once we have confessed the consequences of our addictions to God. David tells us in the Psalms that when he kept silent his bones grew old, but when he confessed the Lord forgave him. There is no time dilation here, it is immediate, as long as you have confessed all that needs confessing, you will feel the weight lifted from off your shoulders right away. David then calls the Lord his hiding place, rather like a sanctuary. When we try to hide our defective behaviours all we hide behind is shame, guilt and remorse. But when we confess our sins to God, then in His grace we find a loving place that keeps us safe and protected.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”. (Matthew 7: 3-5)
The ’speck’ Jesus is referring to here is our defects, which prevents clear vision. If we have defects that need dealing with then we dispense with them first before we can see clearly to help our fellow addicts. We are of no use when we are in the propellants of our sickness regardless of our length of sobriety.
We should by now have some sense of God’s presence. We should also have one or two Christians around us to whom we can share our inventory with. In 2 Corinthians Saint Paul tells us to ‘examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith’.
There are many doctors out there telling us that we cannot afford to harvest a grudge or resentment. Such things cause mental stress that has strong relations to our physical wellbeing. Fear makes us tense, wince and recoil, which causes physical harm too. We become spiritually dormant also. I read on one occasion about a gentleman who had harbored resentments against a family member who sued him. He simply thought of nothing but hatred and was dead within two years. He may well have died anyway some may suggest, but his physical deterioration seemed to develop rapidly once the court case was over. It doesn’t take much argument to relate that the resentment, pain and his passing ran alongside each other.
Answer these two questions before continuing.
- Do you feel the love of Jesus Christ is working in and around you?
- Do you believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
If you have answered yes to both questions, let’s keep the light on and move forward. Remaining in your small church group you can share your confession with a more mature Christian who will, in turn, place them all at the foot of the cross. Jesus and His universe can cope with our thinking far better than we ever could. Get rid of it, spill it out of your mouth. Let God deal with it from this moment on. We made a real mess of it all, but now we have hope in the Lord Jesus Christ Amen.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have transgressed, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your addictions to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5: 13-16)
We have found someone from within the church who is outside our close friends, someone who will spend time with us and help us to confess our resentments. If you honestly feel a small group would work then that’s fine, as long as trust and prayer is at the forefront of the group’s thinking. Although you have listed people, resentments and your part, you must read across the page as you would any text, from left to right without reservations.
Once you have read out your part you ask God to help you become considerate, honest and god fearing
Once you have read across one line you can offer a sentence or two in explanation, but do not ponder or spend too much time with one name. In the most part you will certainly remember the worse of it, and you will be released from all of it, which will free you up to move on in your newfound spiritual life.
To reshape our personalities from our inner thoughts to God’s we must release the fear that had built up in us over the years. Resenting our loved ones who we hoped would pull us out of the hell we were in will be a thing of the past. We believed while we were in the sickness that our mothers, fathers, husband, wives, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and friends were not always there for us, and we never told a soul what went on during that awful period in our lives. Fear took hold and where there is fear love cannot reside. How cruel is this truth? We were sick and failed to love correctly, and now we want to get well and love with all our hearts. Remember that the bible tells us “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”. (1 John 4)
Briefly discuss where you were frightened and how the fear led to a traumatic life. Who was you frightened of and how was it caused? Explain what happened.
May these words of my mouth
and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19)
Hear me, Lord, my plea is just,
listen to my cry. Hear my prayer
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
Let my vindication come from you,
may your eyes see what is right.
Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil,
my mouth has not transgressed.
Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
My steps have held to your paths,
my feet have not stumbled.
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me,
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
(Psalm 17: 1-9)
Psalm 17 says ‘though people tried to bribe me’, which is a confrontation from our old pub or drug friends who, through their own insecurities, attempt us back to our old ways. At this point we are having none of it. We are far better placed in ignoring their calls completely. We can revisit them once our newfound faith is more secure and we live more so within the annals of our church. We can, for added power, ask our new friends to help us when inviting our old bedraggled comrades to church. We must not invite them to our home or visit theirs. The only invitation must be from you, and for them to attend your church and nothing more. No more social nights out with the old crowd, all that must pass us by through prayer and God willingness. The old has gone and the new is here, Amen. We will certainly fail if we do not acknowledge that God is working through us and our new church family. The term ‘give up’ as in giving up drinking or smoking becomes literally what we do. The term originates from God, which is who we give our transgressions up to.
With Step 3 our past is made clear to us. We are far better placed if we redeem ourselves by releasing all those that are captive in our minds. The old adage, ‘that they are living rent free in our heads’ is one comment I always remember when I attended the 12 Step meetings. It is true that all these old foes are rattling around in the back, or forefront, of our caged minds and there is very little we can do about it without divine help and guidance.
Finally for Step 4, we must look at the last column that shows us where we were frightened, inconsiderate, dishonest and self-seeking. We must say a prayer for each person that we resented and show humility by saying that we will be God fearing, considerate, honest and God seeking in all our dealings in the future with each person.
Say this prayer for all those on your list, repeat the first paragraph with each name on your list.
Dear Lord Jesus
I thank you for your strength.
Take away my defects of character Lord.
I have been frightened, inconsiderate, self-seeking and dishonest
Allow me Lord, with your grace, words and truth
that I will become God seeking, fearless, considerate and honest
in all my future dealings with _(name)_.
Thankyou Lord for your faithful Words and freedom.
Thank you, Lord, for your power and strength.
Release me from all my fears.
for you are with me from now and forever.
You are my God. You will strengthen me with your word.
Enlighten me Lord Jesus with Your wisdom.
I ask that Your peace, which transcends all understanding,
will guard my heart and mind. (Proverbs 3)
Say the above prayer for all those on your list, one name after the other until you have completed the whole list. If you prefer you can say your own prayer as long as it coincides with the words of Jesus Christ. Meditate for a few minutes or so, once you have completed the above.
I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain c stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Well done thus far and God bless you Amen
(Psalm 30)
STEP 5: Restitution and Repentance.
Read the Scriptures and the Psalm below to confirm that you acknowledge Step 5. Read out loud with your Christian group or your sponsor.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me,
He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
(Psalm 18: 16-18)
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your addictions may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3: 19)
Jesus is unlike anyone else that has ever walked this earth. Jesus has the power to remove our addictions, to forgive sin, which is at the heart of Step 6. Forgiveness, or in other words, to forgive us from our previous thinking and behaviour alas having our defects removed allows us to attempt change from our character into His.
We drank, drugged or what-ever it was we did, due to having a defective character, a personality full of self. Jesus heals us from all that we did again and again and finally forgives, period. No matter what, when and how we did all that ruinous behaviours, all can be forgiven by our Lord Jesus Christ. How many times can He forgive us when our memories regurgitate past iniquities after iniquity, which in itself creates what we felt were permanent defects. Much of the time we braved off these defects as some kind of dangerous edge of the world where no one else dared to tread. We thought we were defiant, when we were far from it.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
(Matthew 18: 21-22)
We must understand that God has always been ready to take away our addictions and sins. Further to this, God can take the sins of the world, let alone our minor defects that maybe major in our own lives, but with God, they are minimal that can be taken with ease.
If we claim to be without addiction, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our cravings, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our old habits and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (John 1: 8-10)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not return to your cravings. But if anybody does obsess, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our old ways, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (John 2: 1-2)
Modern head doctors may be able to expose an old wound, but they do not have the power to heal or redeem anything at all, let alone forgive sin. Doctors do not and cannot reach the soul in the way Jesus can. We may feel a little better due to the exposure, but it is the healing from Jesus that makes us whole and free. In my personal experience, the psychotherapist managed to excavate old transgression from deep within my thinking, but really couldn’t do much about it, other than say ‘forgive yourself’ while offering prescribed drugs to nullify my mind. I was prescribed mind-altering drugs on two occasions, but threw the pills away both times. Having God forgive us first places us on a much better playing field. During one group therapy session a particular gentleman was swigging from a small bottle of scotch, another middle-aged lady lost the plot with screams while tapping her head hoping to release herself from that which was tampering her, and still another had to leave to pace up and down outside the building. The whole scene was brought on due to exposure of their past, and combining that with the absence of Jesus, hell was let loose. On this occasion we were told to return and walk through our childhood as an adult. We were told to embrace our younger selves with love and say “I’ve got you now”. Exposure is one thing and healing is on a completely different playing field that only Jesus can provide.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For your defects (sins) died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3: 1-10)
Once you have released your step 3 inventory to Christ, you will be more ready than you ever were to complete Step 5 and 6. In the safety of our Christian sponsors, we must take some self-reflection. The central principle here is humility, something that we know very little about.
To begin, we must remember who we are giving our old life to with all its defects, addictions and maladjustments.
In your group, or with your sponsor, prepare a piece of A4 paper with the heading ‘Jesus, I give these defects of my character up to you, Amen’. Placing Jesus at the forefront of step 5 we say this prayer or something similar that will remind us of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you Lord for this moment
of tranquility and of Your power
that with you Lord I can sit and pray
on your word alone in peace and humility
that I am ready to have these defects removed Amen
Step 5 begins with the recognition that addiction is often accompanied by our character defects, which we need restitution from. Our defects can personify a wide range of harmful traits, such as dishonesty, self-seeking, resentment, anger and fear. Admitting these flaws is the primary part of step 5 where recompense is made, freeing you up and leading you toward spiritual growth and recovery through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The primary principle of Step 5 is humility, which involves recognizing our weaknesses that must be restored to strengths. We understand that no one is perfect and everyone has room for spiritual development.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3: 23-24)
Humility allows us to admit our shortcomings without shame and with a willingness to change.
Step 5 allows us to engage in self-reflection. We have been honest in Step 3 and 4; we now examine our thoughts, feelings and the patterns of old behaviour while knowing that the strength they once had on us is gone. Through this process, we can gain insight into how our character defects have contributed to our past addictions, and how those old behaviours have wedged apart our very lives and relationships.
Step 5 stresses redemption and restitution to have these character defects removed. This co-operation is key, as it indicates a readiness for change. This willingness sets the stage for personal growth. To begin again, or to be ‘born again’ as Jesus stated in the book of John.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
(John3: 3-8)
To complete step 5, it is a good idea to focus on the primary defects that we had while in self, before we were ‘born again in the Spirit’. Pride, dishonesty, fear, self-pity, jealousy and impatience are a good place to start. There are however further issues that may arise later, like demandingness and narcissism. These realizations can be dealt with as we travel on our new road making sure that we take one day at a time. As we continue on with our Spiritual growth, we gain more trust within our new fellowship. We can discuss the deeper recesses of our souls once a more God confidence arises in us, once we have a little more maturity. Let’s remember the scripture where Saint Paul focusses on being fed with milk rather than solid food, which tells us we must be weaned first. (1 Corinthians 3)
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18: 4)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4: 1-6)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever Amen. (1 Peter 5: 6-10)
Step 5 involves acknowledging personal flaws and character defects and asking God to remove them all; based on the belief that God can and will help us overcome every last one. Alongside humility, another core principle of this step is a belief in God (that we should already have). We must recognize the need for divine help rather than relying on our own so-called inner strength. Will power does not hack it but hinders our spiritual growth. Determined self-will does not work when up against the devils’ schemes. Adding to this, self-will and humility are not a good mix, a rare commodity of differing energies! We have a new designer, an architect, that has presented us with a better set of plans. A set of drawings that will refresh and renew our broken state. When working on building sites for many years, when builders were presented with new plans we would sit in the canteen and say “here come the new comics” and roll our eyes at such plans that we were presented with. After a while we could see however, that the building was looking good and it was then that we understood the architect’s new design. When amongst the dust and turmoil on a building site, we were not best placed to visualize the end result, which came in time.
“God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” (James 4: 6)
Jesus washes the feet of His disciples, and the Scriptures tell us that those same Disciples did not know what Jesus actually meant when He did this act.
After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13: 5-9)
“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me Teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13: 12-17)
Jesus showed true humility by washing His disciples’ feet. This act shows us whole heartedly that He was here to serve and not be served. It is hard to imagine Jesus washing our feet, an ex drunk who does not deserve such treatment, but this is what He says he is doing, by being here to serve as a living sacrifice.
‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’. (Mark 10: 45)
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all addictions.
If we claim to be without obsessions, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our cravings, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our defects and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1: 5-10)
We are better placed showing real and committed humility by praying the step 5 prayer while on our knees, which is true humility. God knows our hearts and thinking, but to show that we are humble enough to pray on our knees will allow us to bring in His love closer to our hearts.
Thank you Lord that I can kneel in Your love
that you can remove from me all my defects of character
that block my path to you Lord Jesus and that Your word
can saturate me with the love of God
Thankyou Lord for Your truth, word, love and life Amen
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
(Psalm 130: 1-4)
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3: 12-14)
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12: 14-16)
The most formidable act of forgiveness comes from Jesus when He was nailed to the cross. It is not easy to imagine the pian that He was in after receiving such a beating, having a thorn of crowns placed on His head, and then crucified. It is however, during this moment when Jesus said.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23: 34)
When I read Luke chapter 23 I often hold the Bible at arm’s length while squinting slightly in cringe mode while thinking how on God’s great earth did He manage to do such a powerful thing, and then I remember who Jesus was and is Amen. It is this incredible Jesus example that we follow, and we must understand that we are forgiven and that we can do the same to others, no matter what they did to us.
To gain real Christian freedom, we must take a deeper look at the list we prepared in our Step 3. We must see our part in the 3rd column and simply reverse the self-seeking to God seeking, dishonest to honest, frightened to God fearing and inconsiderate to considerate in all our future dealings with those on the list, and more if you can think of further people who have harmed you. In essence, we ask to remove our self-seeking and for Him to make us God seeking in all our future dealings with this person. This is repentance at its earliest stage, remember, we are still fledgling Christians only being edged and ushered toward the edge of the nest, we have not flown out as yet.
Many of us were introverted bullies. We lashed out at people that we thought opposed us in one way or another. We lashed out verbally and physically at those who happened to be in front of us at any given time, blaming them for the pain that was brought on during our lives. Our personalities matured over the years without the power to forgive. We stored it all up and gathered pace without knowing how our personalities were shaped at all. It was a natural way to react, wouldn’t you, we’d yell. The pain was too much for us. We never really saw that it was us causing others harm. One friend of mine managed to lash out at most people she knew, always blaming them for causing her to threat. At her own mother’s funeral, she verbally abused her sister for all the ills caused during their childhood, not realizing that it was her sister’s mother too. She was selfish to the highest degree. If you have sinned against someone in some apparent self-defence, they must go on the list too. Justified resentments are not good for us at all. We cannot afford them, they make us ill.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6: 14-15)
Forgiveness through Jesus is paramount for us to maintain our spirituality. We must have the freedom Jesus offers, which is gained in part by forgiving others who have troubled us. The instruction is clear as stated in the Lords prayer. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”. And this will only materialize if we forgive everyone who has hurt us in any way shape or form. We can see in the previous steps how much God has forgiven us of our drunkenness, debauchery, immorality, hatred to others and so on. All we need to do is apply the same energy to others that have hurt us. If we focus our gaze on Him who has all knowledge and power over our newfound life, then there are no ifs or buts, only total forgiveness.
God knows we need forgiveness ourselves, which is the great paradox that happens if we forgive others. The Bible tells us what we must do to move forward with forgiveness in our hearts, to make it a more natural process that resides within our very being, which would allow us to move on up to that super-natural power that now has a hold of us.
There is a great deal online detailing commitments, learning curves and how to develop a forgiving mind set, to become wholesome and correct. Much of it is about following particular guidelines, rules and regulations to become ‘forgivingly fit’ as one site puts it. We, on the other hand, have decided to rely on Jesus is our leader and guide where He alone can show us what we must do to forgive. To ‘get’ Jesus, we must read His words.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 1: 1-5)
We can see here the mindset we need to begin our forgiving journey, to be with Jesus who, with His peace, we can take on anything at all.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 1: 14-15)
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Ephesians 1: 31-32)
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5: 23-24)
Jesus tells us that we are to be reunited with our brother or sister if they have things against us. Not only are we to be thorough in trying to make things right when resentments are involved, but it also implies that we should be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others, so that we can deal correctly with any remaining resentment or anger. There could also be an implication that since they are now brother or sister, meaning we are all connected through one humanity, brings in a new courage that comes from the Lord. The approach is made with far less fear.
As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received; with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 1: 1-3)
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3: 22-24)
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2 Corinthians 5: 18-21)
Jesus is telling us that when we become ‘peace makers’, that we become the true children of God. The eighth and ninth steps are about making peace with those whom we have wronged, as much as God will guide us to do so. Our old school practice is to sweep past wrongs under the rug of our old lives, and we try to forget about them. Out of sight out of mind, or so we used to think, not realizing that they tamper with our minds all the while. By making amends however, we are able to go the second mile to bring peace and goodness where there might have been haunting doubts, suspicion or misunderstanding before. We can become real peacemakers who have been blessed by the greatness and beauty of Jesus.
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘You fool,’ is answerable to the court. (Matthew 5: 21-22)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5: 43-48)
STEP 6: Having had a Spiritual awakening with Jesus, we continue to work with others and to practice Christian principles in all our affairs.
Read the Scriptures below with your sponsor or within your Christian group making sure that you acknowledge Step 6.
Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1: 8-9)
through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. (Romans 15: 4)
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10: 12-13)
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10: 14-15)
Continuing your spiritual growth with Jesus at your side will remove any temptations that you may have. To manage this, it is essential that we read and study the Bible for the sole purpose of finding the true heart of Jesus, which allows us to further our own personal inner truth. Our hearts grow through knowing His. We must not however, read the Bible as a factual, or even fictional account of somebody else’s life story. The Bible is the truth, which is more than mere facts. We must not enter into wishy washy agreements that Jesus was simply a great person or a ‘good teacher’ as we often hear and read. We must not put our swerve of what the Bible ‘really means’. We must attempt to see how God sees, listen how God listens and talk how God talks, which happens when we attend Christian groups that get together to study Gods word. We meet at church, in home groups or social groups or wherever we can, but we always meet up with our newfound Christian friends to focus on the Word of God.
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13: 16-17)
There are many books that detail great human achievements and the Bible, in essence, is not one of them. The primary ingredient that affirms the Biblical Prophets is, they all had God on their side. The achievement is therefore in God and not man.
To be sure, there is nothing abstract about the Bible too that will help a particular part of your life, like keeping fit and healthy or a self-help book to embrace newness like perhaps a New Years resolution would. The Bible tells us paradoxically that all these things will be given to you as well because God knows you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6: 33)
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18: 19)
The Bible’s key ingredient is to change us personally, completely and thoroughly. It is to save us from death itself, a death that we created through our own ego’s, failings and defects. In the book of Joshua we are told.
The Holy Spirit is poured into our hearts through His word, Christian prayer, fellowship and Bible study groups. This is the only way we are able to change the interior state of our minds, which society, psychology or self like gods ever could. When in the throes of our illness, we saw God as an antagonist, an obstacle that slings unexpected law abiding ‘tho shall’ and ‘thou shall nots’ at us like a nonchalant police officer or judge. Saint Paul tells us that ‘the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God’ (Romans 8: 7)
When in an obsessive state we revolt against God, our spiritual selves and all those around us. Now that the Holy Spirit has taken hold, a change comes about that ignores our previous rancour against our true spirit. At last, we now know that God is inside us and a part of our very being. God is favourable and benign. He is an ally and not an enemy. He is our creator, and we are made in His image.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15: 13)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened”. (Mattew 7: 7-8)
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: 7-9)
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup,
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places,
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me,
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices,
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
(Psalm 16: 5-11)
Prayer is powerful; it is an absolute. Prayer defines everything that you have confessed, bringing it to a positive and forgiving conclusion. Prayer, then, allows us to move forward in faith. Amen is our ultimate ‘yes’. Amen says that we really mean what we pray, it is our affidavit of the area that we are particularly praying for. Amen is more than our signature on a contract, it is our mark of acceptance from deep within our soul. “So what” “big deal” “don’t care” are not words that we say before we whisper Amen, are they? Think about prayer for a while, and you will understand how your words are formed and structured in solid and profound sentences, it just happens to be that way because God gets His way without reservations from us. We don’t get in the way anymore.
Praying is such a difficult thing to do when we are angry. Often, I hardly have time to kneel down when anger gets a grip on me, but praying is the most essential thing I can do to help me lift the anger from me, and it works. There is nothing that we can say, ever, that has more depth than when we pray. It is our new ‘meaning’. It is us finally turning away from resolutions to absolutes. The tension in our white-knuckle rides determining our sobriety is a thing of the past. To gain that power, Jesus tells us how and where to pray to receive the full benefits.
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6: 6)
In Matthew 6 Jesus highlights the value of private, wholehearted prayer, which nurtures our relationship with God. Praying alone with fullness of heart shows that we are serious and determined to foster Gods word. This is where the seriousness of our faith comes from, when we are alone and with God, our truth emerges. Many theologians tell us that the Lords’ Prayer is the most precious passage in the whole of the New Testament. These simple words from Jesus Himself, encompass every conceivable element in prayer that we may need. Its simplicity is reduced to a clearly understood pattern that engulfs our primary dilemmas. Let’s take a brief look at what the Son of God says in this formidable piece of Scripture.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever Amen.
(Matthew 6: 9-13)
Let’s see where each part is so relevant to each of us, not just our sobriety, but our very lives. To recognize God and to determine His Kingdom comes first, places us on the right plain. The concept of ‘one day at a time’ is highlighted twice in the 6th line, and the temptation of going back to our old ways is there too. Lead us not into temptation is key. At this stage of our new lives the temptation to indulge again has left us and we end the prayer by thanking God for that deliverance from evil Amen. It is a beautiful prayer that I pray out loud every morning before my feet touch the ground. As soon as I wake up, I utter the Lord’s Prayer.
Pray continually.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (Thessalonians 5: 16-18)
Praying in hope that something will change for the better in us is fine, but it is certainly devalued without giving thanks to Him who gave us this newness in the first place. Saint Paul tells us to ‘rejoice’ which is a word that is rarely used now-a-days but nevertheless, we rejoice in our new campaign of life.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful
(Colossians 4: 2)
Throughout much of my life, being ‘watchful’ rarely ran alongside being ‘thankful’. Watchful, always had a hint of paranoia attached to it; I was always looking at those who may try and take something from me, particularly drink. Now-a-days, being watchful is governed by prayer often generated by questions that I ask myself on a daily basis. Did I pray today? Did I kneel with humility, or am I strolling along praying with pride, which does not work for me.
How and where we pray is important. We all know and see mature Christians that can pray standing with hands outstretched and palms up, although I am not one of them, not yet. Praying can only work in the way Jesus tells us how to pray, any other way is an add on. We must pray alone, in a room so God sees our hearts. And after a while;
we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4: 14-15)
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6: 31-34)
The Bible’s key ingredient is to change us personally, completely and thoroughly. It is to save us from death itself, a death that we created through our own ego’s, failings and defects.
Jesus tells us to go to a room alone to pray. Saint Paul also teaches us how and what to pray.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3: 14-19)
The Spirit of Jesus, or The Holy Spirit if you like, is poured into our hearts through His word, Christian prayer, fellowship and Bible study groups, which is finally able to change the interior state of our minds that the law, psychology or self like gods ever could. When in the throes of our illness, we saw God as an antagonist, an obstacle who slings expected law abiding ‘tho shall’ and ‘thou shall nots’ statements at us like a nonchalant police officer or judge. Saint Paul tells us ‘the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God’ (Rom 8: 7) When in an obsessive state we rebel against God, our spiritual selves and all those around us. Now that the Holy Spirit has taken hold, a change comes about that ignores our previous rancour. At last, we now know that God is inside us and a part of our very being. God is favourable and benign. He is an ally and not an enemy. He is our creator, and we are made in His image. My new affirmation is ‘God above, Jesus beside, Holy Spirit within, Amen.
My hope is that for the rest of your life you read, study and re-read the Bible never to put it away. After reading it through once, you simply smile your achievement and start again. To be sure, it will be a good idea if you put aside half hour, or better still an hour a day to read your study Bible for eternity.
Confession should not be a mere admission of failure but a sorrowful moment over the years we have been addicted, and more a futures commitment to strive toward God, like we have no choice; all that is left for us is Jesus.
The 6 Steps from within the Bible allows us to gain recovery and spiritual renewal with Jesus. By completing the steps with its original biblical principles, you will receive freedom from addiction and develop a closer rapport with God. For those of us on this great expedition, the collective wisdom of Scripture, your efforts and Jesus will serve as a leading light illuminating the way to spiritual wholeness.
To be sure, the steps focus on deepening spiritual connection through prayer and meditation. This step is crucial as it highlights unending spiritual growth and an affiliation with God’s purpose. The biblical connections to the steps are profound.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7)
This verse highlights the importance of prayer as a means to experience divine peace and guidance. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)
The Bible encourages stillness and attentiveness to God’s presence, which aligns with the practice of quiet reflection to strengthen spiritual awareness. Through prayer and meditation, Step 6 encourages a closer relationship with God, echoing the Bible’s call for an effective spiritual life. It’s a step that exceeds further than just recovery, leading us toward a life of dedication, peace and a reliance on divine wisdom in Jesus name Amen.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment, to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. (Ephesians 1: 3-11)
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
(Psalm 119: 10-16)
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
(Matthew 18: 11-14)
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in their addictions, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. (Galatians 1: 1-2)
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples. (John 15: 5-8)
There is an abundance of Scripture that details what we must do to keep within the Spirit of God’s law. Jesus refers to ‘I am the vine and you are the branches’, meaning that Christians must bear good fruit by turning others toward God. The vine is Jesus, which waters the branches and the branches are Christians who bear fruit that offers the Spirit to those who still suffer from their afflictions.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7: 16-20)
When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9: 36-38)
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
(Matthew 10: 1)
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 1: 7-10)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4: 8-9)
There are many Bible verses that highlight the importance of God’s newness in our lives, offering guidance on nurturing a closer relationship with Jesus, the Lamb of God. One of my favourite conclusive passages is Revelations 21.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty, I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem.
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal 12,000 stadia in length and width and height. And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone:
The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory. Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there. And into the city will be brought the glory and honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelations 21)
There is nothing on earth quite like the Bible. It is inherent like a life form all of its own accord, and the great book represents God alone. The Bible is our refuge, a harbour for life where we can reside in a safe port regardless of what other people think. We are safe and protected in the storm of life. We walk on the surface of life’s torrent, so to speak, rather than the old way of battling upstream knee deep in the hellish place we once lived in. We have a bolthole, a resort, a hotel where we have booked in and there is no leaving date, it is our new reality, our new super-nature that resides in us and we in Him. The ceiling is aligned with universal stars and the corridor walls heaped with scriptures where, as we walk along, we have this view of God’s Word constantly with us. We pray without ceasing as Saint Paul tells us. The sun sets and rises everyday right infront of us and the view is magnificent, and we are aware of such distance and knowledge. Distance becomes our new knowledge from His word to fulfil us deep within to a deep without. We have no fear of this new universal expansion. Everything we do from this moment on changes. Our perception on music, clothes, food and how we appear to others has less attraction to what they once had. Placing God first, and He tells us that all these things will be given to us also, we have no need to stress about such things; nor do we spend too much time glancing at our reflection in the mirror to see how we are. God knows how we are and works out the needed changes within us Himself, and we leave it at that. We dress appropriately, and we eat sufficiently well with fasting in mind, but we reflect on all that we do under the protective wing of God, our new and loving celestial Eagle. Scripture becomes our new food for living, just as important than food and water itself, if not more so, we live out our new lives by the word of God. Amen.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. (Luke 9: 23-24)
The paradox here, which in the Christian faith there are many, is that the life we lose is the old life that was killing us off anyway. The new life is freedom with real wholesome blessings from Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(1 Thessalonians 5: 4-11)
Each Bible verse sheds light on different aspects of prayer and meditation, whether through studying Scripture, spending quiet moments with God and His people, or focusing on gratitude and trust. The Scriptures within this book underline the Bible’s emphasis on maintaining a deep and reflective relationship with God and how this alone keeps us both sane and sober. We have a new freedom that we never knew existed until now.
My hope is that for the rest of your life you read, study and re-read the Bible where you never put it away. After reading it through once, you simply smile at your achievement and start again. To be sure, it will be a good idea if you put aside half hour, or better still an hour a day to read your study Bible for eternity.
Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
(Psalm 40: 4-5)
God bless you and keep the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Amen.
Finally, we remind ourselves what we are to do with our new lives in collaboration with our Lord Jesus Christ. Berid of the old and put on the new. Amen
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3: 1-17)
My hope is that the peace of Jesus is with you now and forever, Amen.