12 Steps to Growing Your Faith

Faith/Spiritual

12 Steps to Growing Your Faith

  1. Confess any shortcomings.
    Confession means “to agree with” God what is true about one’s condition. One must stop blaming others and excusing themselves. When an individual asks God for forgiveness, “He is faithful and just to forgive” them (1 John 1:9, NLT). Only when someone confesses that they are stuck will they begin to get unstuck and start to grow in their faith.
  2. Admit any failures.
    No one can save themselves. One must come to the end of themselves, admit their failures, and say, “God, I’ve failed in my attempts to change and to get better.” But if someone tries to overcome their problems by willpower alone, they will fail. Instead of trying harder, they must admit they are weak, and then they’ll find strength in the Lord. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says Christ’s “power works best in weakness.”
  3. Get help from God. (more…)

Life Recovery Step Eleven: Prayer and Meditation

Addiction/Recovery

Life Recovery Step Eleven: Prayer and MeditationEver been in a conversation where the other person does all the talking? Having to deal with this is frustrating, right? It’s easy to feel unloved, unheard, and unseen when this happens.

How does this relate to recovery? It’s hard for someone in recovery to hear what God is saying to them if they do not take the time to listen to Him. As a result, they won’t experience a deep relationship with the Lord. By closing their ears, they are losing an opportunity for God to speak truth, hope, and peace into their lives.

This is why taking the time to go through Life Recovery Step Eleven is so important. (more…)

12 Christian Foundations of Life Recovery

Addiction/Recovery

12 Christian Foundations of Life RecoveryThe Twelve Steps of Life Recovery are a set of biblical principles in addiction treatment that outline a course of action for tackling problems such as drug and alcohol addiction, overeating, sex addiction, and more. There are 12 Christian Foundations that Life Recovery is based on.

  1. The Bible supports all the truths expressed in the Life Recovery process.
    It is the foundation for recovery and—ultimately—how we should live. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16b, “It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
  2. Jesus is not just the Higher Power of Life Recovery but the Higher Power of all people.
    Here’s a counter-cultural truth: All paths do not lead to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. (more…)

6 Tips to Finding Contentment in a Crisis

Life Issues

6 Tips to Finding Contentment in a CrisisAre you going through a crisis right now? Though your circumstances may seem bleak, take heart—there’s hope! You may be discontent right now during these hard times you are going through. The Apostle Paul struggled with difficult days, too, but he learned that it’s possible to be content with very little. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” Here are some tips to help you find contentment in a crisis.

1. Ask for Help.
Since going through a crisis is difficult, if not impossible, you may need to get help. If you need resources, whether it is financial, spiritual, or something else, your church may be a good place to start. (more…)

Formula for Anger

Life Issues

Formula for Anger“So then, putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not make room for the adversary.” – Ephesians 4:25-27

The Bible gives us a great strategy in Ephesians for dealing with our anger in a godly manner. It says there are appropriate times to be angry. In the original language, the word for “anger” in Ephesians 4:25-27 is in the imperative – meaning it is a command. At times, we are commanded to be angry. But it holds in tension that the anger must be expressed in a way that is not sinful or destructive to the person who is offended, or to the group or individual with whom we are angry. (more…)