Addiction/Recovery
Making amends is painful. Doing nothing is painful. But nothing is as painful as keeping everything a secret.
In Life Recovery Step 8, it says, “We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
Unfortunately, individuals stuck in addiction try to do damage control by trying to hide their addiction and not making amends to those they’ve hurt. Full of shame and self-condemnation, they avoid making amends at all costs because they think it’ll spare themselves—and those they love—from more hurt.
Here are four core shame-filled beliefs that keep a person stuck:
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- “I am a bad and worthless person.”
- “If you really knew me, you wouldn’t love me.”
- “My addiction is my greatest need.” (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
Isn’t it humbling to realize that only God is God?
When someone is stuck in addiction, they think they know what is best. But remarkably, God frequently intervenes, humbles them, and shows them that He knows what is best.
Life Recovery Step Six requires one to be “ready to have God remove these defects of character.” So, Step Seven is even more challenging because it involves taking action; it says, “We humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.” Without a doubt, Step Seven is hard—it takes relinquishing pride.
In Step Seven, one must ask God to remove the shortcomings they’ve identified and accepted in the previous steps. Any defects removed must be replaced with humility—this step involves a commitment to honesty.
If anyone had a problem with honesty, it was King Nebuchadnezzar in the Bible. (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
“We were entirely ready to have God remove these defects of character.” – Life Recovery Step Six
If someone is stuck in addiction and wants to be free finally, what’s the one thing that God requires from them? Humility.
Oswald Chambers, the early twentieth-century preacher and theologian described humility as “the great characteristic of a saint.”
But many people who struggle with unhealthy habits have a hard time with humility. They believe they must do everything perfectly to recover from addiction and stay sober. But this type of perfectionistic thinking can be overwhelming—it makes individuals think they must do everything themselves and do it perfectly, or they will quit altogether. Instead of doing recovery perfectly all by oneself, Step Six requires humility because one must be “ready to have God remove these defects of character.” (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
Has the pain from bad choices, habits, and decisions made life a prison? If so, it’s possible to break free from bondage—confession is the key!
Addictions and unhealthy patterns hold a person back from living a life of freedom that God designed for them to live. But when they see how their actions have hurt others and tell those whom they’ve hurt that they’re sorry, their life will transform for the better. And going through Life Recovery Step Five is the key to a person in recovery experiencing the relief their soul craves.
What is Life Recovery Step Five? Life Recovery Step Five states, “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
Why does the prospect of making an honest personal inventory, as Life Recovery Step Four states, scare most people?
When someone does a personal inventory, there’s an enormous amount of pain involved. Why? Because it’s painful for a person to come to terms with how they’ve harmed themselves and others. So, out of all the 12 Steps, Step Four is often one of the most challenging steps.
Life Recovery Step Four says, “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
It won’t be easy as a person takes stock of their life. (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
Feeling disappointed? Have no hope? While no one knows what tomorrow will bring, God has a hope-filled future for the person who trusts Him.
Regardless of how challenging someone’s circumstances may seem right now—whether it’s addiction, hung up on an unhealthy habit, or pain from the past—it’s never too late to turn to God.
In Life Recovery Step Three, it says, “We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.”
How? A person stuck in addiction lives life on their terms and for themselves. But when they decide to turn their will and life over to God, they will begin to find freedom from addiction. So instead of using willpower alone to overcome their struggles, they can use God’s power.
Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, said it best “Our whole problem had been the misuse of our willpower. (more…)
