Month: September 2019

Changed?

30th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, Recovery, September Comments Off on Changed?

In Luke 12 Jesus said, “I have come to change everything, turn everything right side up.”  “I’ve come to disrupt and confront.” “You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things.” He said “Just use your common sense.” 

“Are you caught up in the turmoil of addiction and compulsion? feeling like there is no way out? Then listen to this! Jesus Christ came to save sinners, He died on a cross and rose after three days to prove to me and to you there is a Way out and it is through a relationship with Him. Common sense says “I can’t do this on my own!” “I need help!”

Do you want Him to help you “turn everything right side up?” If the answer is yes, and you live in Australia can I suggest you get in touch with Celebrate Recovery Australia?

Are You Serious About Living This New Life?

30th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September Comments Off on Are You Serious About Living This New Life?

If you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ–that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life–even though invisible to spectators–is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too–the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. Colossians 3:1-4

Over the years I have been in recovery I have seen a lot of people come in and out of meetings and groups. Some achieved recovery and lives transformed through a personal relationship with Jesus and the strength of the Holy Spirit living in and through their lives on a daily basis ‘One Day at a Time!’

I love this scripture. It starts with a question are you serious? Are you willing to go to any lengths to become your God-given self and live your God-given purpose? If you are then this passage suggests you need to do some things.

  1. You need to act like it that means stopping all the negative and wrong things you have been doing and start living like you are pleased with the changes occurring in and through your life.
  2. You need to pursue the things over which Jesus presides that means consciously living according to what the Bible says about right living.
  3. You need to lookup stop feeling sorry for yourself, understand this process called recovery, whilst being difficult in the beginning is going to bring you far more peace and joy than you have ever hoped for or can understand.
  4. You need to be content with the obscurity (not understanding what is happening but being prepared to live by faith) stop believing you are the centre of the universe and the world revolves around you and let Jesus Christ be  ‘The One True Higher Power’

I’m serious about this process called ‘RECOVERY’ because without it I am nothing and have nothing so just for today (the next 24 hours) I am putting my faith and trust in my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

 

Don’t Let Emotions Lead

28th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September, Thought For Today Comments Off on Don’t Let Emotions Lead

Proverbs 25:11 The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry.

We need to learn to think before we speak. Doesn’t sound hard bit isn’t always that easy in practice when we allow our emotions to lead our mouth.

I can remember a number of times during my recovery where I have let my emotions lead my mouth and from experience it’s disastrous. In the process of recovery, we need to learn to take emotional pauses. Times where we just STOP! and take stock of what is going on, how we feel about it and how we should react to it.

I have never had anyone complain to me for saying to them “Can I get back to you on that?”

 

Payer: Lord,  help me today not to let my emotions lead my mouth.

Simple But Not Always Easy

27th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, Daily Reflection, September Comments Off on Simple But Not Always Easy

Prayer that includes confession demonstrates humility and opens up the lines of communication to God.

2 Samuel 5:19 David prayed to God: “Shall I go up and fight the Philistines? Will you help me beat them?”

We can get it wrong in recovery by:

– Forgetting to seek God’s guidance.
– Not following God’s instructions.
– Giving glory to God for our recovery.
– Not seeking God’s will for our lives.
– Ignoring what the Bible says about our circumstances.

Recovery for me is a simple process ‘He leads ~ I follow’  Simple but not always easy.

 

What The Bible Says

27th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September, What The Bible Says Comments Off on What The Bible Says

About Communication

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline–not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life. James 1:19 ~ Ephesians 4:2 ~ Colossians 4:6 ~ 2 Timothy 2:16

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel,
cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.
Hebrews 4:12

27th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September Comments Off on

pg 266 We often misinterpret the actions and words of others, which results in confusion and conflict. Open and honest communication is a prerequisite of overcoming confusion and establishing peace.

Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy. You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God–no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers. Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed–keep that dusted off and in use. 1 Timothy 4:4-14 MSG

 

We have God’s Word to form the foundation of every decision we make.

Do You Understand?

23rd September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September, What The Bible Says Comments Off on Do You Understand?

Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious–the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Matthew 13:14 ~ Romans 12:3 ~ 1 Corinthians 12:2 ~ 1 Corinthians 13:12 ~ Philippians 4:8-9

 

The goal of recovery is ‘Spiritual Maturity’

21st September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September, Step 12 Comments Off on The goal of recovery is ‘Spiritual Maturity’

Having gone through these steps and discovering the importance of an individual relationship with God through Jesus, I will try to live according to His principles and to
lead others to a personal relationship with Him.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way–never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

The goal of recovery is ‘Spiritual Maturity’ Paul assures us the use of God-tools in our lives are powerful and effective in helping us change our lives and become all that God calls us to be. Ephesians 6:13-17 says “Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.”  We need to learn to apply these ‘God-tools’ to every area of our lives on a daily basis.

Ephesians 6:18 Reminds us; Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare.  we need to “Pray hard and long.” We need to “Pray for your brothers and sisters.” We need to  “Keep your eyes open.”  and “Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

Recovery is not a solo event we need each other and we need to encourage each other in our quest to reach ‘Spiritual Awakening.’

Help Others!

21st September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September, Step 9 Comments Off on Help Others!

Having identified the people, I have harmed, I will now go and make restitution to them. Unless to do so is going to cause them or others pain or suffering.

Proverbs 3:27 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
your hand is God’s hand for that person.

God’s ability to do good is not limited by our understanding. When we have to do things we don’t want to do or don’t feel up to doing God offers us extraordinary resources. We should not put off contacting people on our list because we don’t want to or don’t feel up to meeting them. In this step, we need to put our faith in God and trust Him to bring good out of our willingness to go through the process.

If things don’t go according to our expectations we need to learn not to grumble about them, complain about them or blame God because we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.

 

What The Bible Says

17th September 2019 aeboyle 2019, September, What The Bible Says Comments Off on What The Bible Says

Jeremiah 6:16 God’s Message yet again: “Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, The tried and true road. Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls.”

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