Hebrews 12:7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Whoever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?
– God allows some things to happen to us in order to train us
LEARN FROM THEM…
– Our response to God’s discipline determines how much we benefit from it.
ACCEPT IT GRACEFULLY
– God is more loving and demanding than any other parent.
DRAW ON HIS STRENGTH
James 1:19-20 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
Realising who or what is in control of our lives is an important part of the recovery process. James advises us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” for many of us control of our lives in the past has been dominated by our emotions. We know in our own strength, left to our own will and desires we cannot control our feelings. That is why we need to ‘turn our wills and lives over to the care of God.’
Even when we feel out of control He can help us maintain composure. He can give us what we need to ‘think, think, think’ and listen before we make bad choices or take the wrong action.
PURITY IS IMPORTANT
James 3:17 The wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it.
Purity in our lives comes from a commitment to God and His Word. The bad things from our past need to be removed and the way to removing them is to study God’s Word and apply it to daily living.
Purity in our lives comes from our hearts. Recovery is a process of changing from the inside out. We are not here for show; we are here to change.
Purity comes from God. Daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. God’s Word points out our sins and motivates us to change our lives and repair broken and damaged relationships.
Prayer: Purify my heart Lord and make me clean from the inside in all areas of my life.