Addiction/Recovery
Has life been painful? Want to make a change but don’t know where to begin? If so, consider going to a Life Recovery Group. No one should go through life alone, so everyone will benefit from having others walk alongside them on their journey. The Bible says, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed…Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12, NLT). Check out these 8 benefits of joining a Life Recovery Group.
1. You’ll have a plan to heal.
Life Recovery Groups offer a path to not only recover from addictions, heartaches, and unhealthy patterns, but to live a new life as well. The 12 Steps of Life Recovery are taught in each group; everyone who attends will have the opportunity to go through these 12 Steps. (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
An addiction is a lot like being on a merry-go-round, but with the exception that it’s not fun.
You turn to food, gambling, shopping, one-night stands, codependency, hoarding, or something else. The more you turn to your addiction, the more shame you feel and want to numb that feeling. So you go back to the very thing you don’t want to do. Now you’re stuck in the vicious cycle of addiction. And it’s going so fast that you don’t know how to stop.
The apostle Paul put it this way “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t” (Romans 7:18). To interrupt this cycle of addiction, you must break free from pain, acting out, shame, and relapse that keeps you in bondage.
Here is a more in-depth look at each phase.
Pain — Before you even realize you are dealing with an addiction, you’re in pain. You feel emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational pain. These painful feelings create a longing for you to get rid of the pain. Pain and addiction go hand in hand—they feed off of each other. As your pain increases, your desire for relief increases. Recognizing you are in pain and in need of help can be the first step in recovery. (more…)
Addiction/Recovery
One fatal day, Job lost everything – his wealth, children, and even good health.
Job cried out to God by asking some challenging questions. In Job 3:11, he asked: “Why wasn’t I born dead?” In other words, Job questioned why God allowed him to go through such intense suffering.
Can you relate? Perhaps the unthinkable happened to you. You might have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused as a child. Or, maybe you were betrayed on the deepest level when your spouse had an affair and abandoned you. Now you turn to food, drugs, sex, shopping, alcohol, or another addiction to numb your pain. You’ve prayed for God to heal you by taking away your pain. (more…)