Tag: Live
Changing Your Habits
In recovery and in life the best source I have found to learn the right thing from is the Bible.
2022 | Day Nine | Morning Harmony
Don’t let anyone divert you from the truth. It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in Jesus. Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in Him, and sin is not part of His program. If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. If we claim that we experience a shared life with Him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim.
Sin is Rebellion: Living out our attitudes and behaviors contrary to God’s will.
God plans what is good for us. We suffer from fear of the unknown, even with this knowledge. How often have you said out loud God’s got this!” whilst thinking to your self “I hope He has?” God wants us to ‘follow Jesus’ He sent Him to earth not just to die for us but to teach us how to live here on earth. Sometimes I think we are so focused on the latter to live our lives today. Our life here on earth is a series of appointments and events. In which we have a huge amount of freedom to choose. seeking God’s will through prayer, meditation, discussion with others, and examining all the circumstances in our lives helps us to make the right choices and to follow where He leads.
God may not have revealed all His plans for you now, but He has revealed everything you need to know to live life according to His purpose today.
God’s Got You!
“He said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.” Luke 17:19
Let us give thanks for the renewal of faith. Many of us knew something of Christian influence in our early days. But we deserted it, and chose to go our own way. At some point as we go through the recovery process we come to the realisation of the importance of God. We begin to grasp hold of His helping hand. He is nearer to us because our sense of up reach is effectively activated. We seek Him with all of our heart. Our enrolment in the school of faith requiring daily attention to simple exercises in educational, spiritual learning.
God communicates through His Word, advising, counselling, teaching. Nourishing our faith and feeding our innermost needs. Sharing our experience, strength and hope with someone else has now become strangely rewarding, and a part of our daily walk of faith.
Let’s remain in the light as God breaks through, revealing himself in love, in mercy and in power. It is easy to heave a sight of Gods love and purpose for us, and then withdraw, or runaway. A sip of living water is not going to fix our defective characters. To quickly people in recovery squander God-given opportunities. Seeking the easier, softer way.
Today I want to encourage all reading this to ‘keep moving forward’ God has got you, He will not drop you. In fact, if you put your faith in Him, seek to find and to do His will in your life you will not believe what He has in store for you.
‘No Turning Back’
After discovering my sinful habits and attitudes and confessing them,
I am now willing to let God change me.
…… What do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today—live a good life. Look around you: Everything you see is God’s—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything on it. Deuteronomy 10:12-14
Often we ask, What does God expect of me?
Here Moses gives a summary that is simple in form and easy to remember.
Here are the essentials:
(1) Live in His presence (have reverence for Him).
(2) Follow the road He sets out for you.
(3) Love Him.
(4) Serve Him with everything you have in you.
(5) Obey His commandments.
(6) Live a good life.
(7) Understand everything above and beyond is His and He is your God.
Focus Verse: Deuteronomy 10:12 “Live in his presence ……… follow the road He sets out for you.”
There are people who would prefer to go back rather than do what needs to be done to achieve recovery. There are others who almost get there but give just before it is achieved. Disappointingly many people turn to God, put their faith in Him only to turn back after a short time. This is a deliberate departure from living God’s way. A backward step backsliding, backing off, and backing down.
God never goes back on His word. 2 Timothy 2:13 “Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, He remains faithful to us and will help us, for He cannot disown us who are part of Himself, and He will always carry out His promises to us.” When we give our word to God. To follow Him by letting Him lead we too should not turn back but do ‘the work’ of living in His presence and following the road He sets before us. Then and only then can we truly understand and enjoy all He has in store for us and is already doing in us.
About Sin
Don’t let sin control the way you live
Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed. Congenial conversation—what a pleasure! The right word at the right time—beautiful! Proverbs 15:22-23
Change your old habits
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Colossians 3:9
Recovery calls for living under The Twelve Steps, which align with the Word of God. In the past, we knew no better. Our desire to live the wrong way controlled our lives. We wanted what we wanted when we wanted it and would go to any lengths to get it. We developed habits that suited our lifestyle and helped us to consume our drug of choice on our terms.
Through the process of recovery, we have recognized our defects and the flaws in our character that we need to face and overcome if we want to change our lives. Now that we have decided to tell the truth, we need to start and look at ways of changing what we do to line up with our alternative way of living and thinking. We need to learn God’s way s and apply them to our daily living in every area of our lives.
We came to recovery with selfish ambition. I used to tell people ‘the one thing I am selfish about in my life is recovery.” Today I know that is not true. Proverbs 18:1 in the message says, “Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good.” For much of my life, even in recovery, my interest has been in the WIFM (what’s in it for me?) The Life Recovery Bible says A sure sign of progress in recovery is when we begin to care about those around us who are still in bondage to their addiction. As Christ suffered and died so we might have life, we must sacrifice for others as well. It takes maturity to lay aside our own interests and agenda in order to share the message of hope and recovery with others. But such sacrifices are part of recovery. Staying self-absorbed can set us up for pride and relapse; carrying the message of recovery to others will always strengthen us.
People all the time say to me “I don’t know what God wants from me.” The answer is He wants you to love Him and love others. He wants you to listen to Him and to act according to His Word in every area of your life.
- What bad habits have you changed so far in recovery?
- What still needs changed?
Prayer: Lord today if there are any old habits between us remove them.
What The Bible Says
Paul lived for two years in his rented house. He welcomed everyone who came to visit. He urgently presented all matters of the kingdom of God. He explained everything about Jesus Christ. His door was always open. In Christ, we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ. Since we have confidence in the new promise, we speak very boldly. We can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” #Live #Open #Freedom #Faith
Verse For Today
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God.” Matthew 5:6
- Addiction and compulsion lose there influence over our lives as we increasingly yield them to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God living in us reduces our appetite for sin and increases your hunger for God
Romans 8:5 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them.
I’m Living My Life For Jesus
I’m living my life for Jesus,
His love and grace I’ve seen;
And now that I live for Jesus,
Life has a new-found theme.
My life has a new-found intention.
I follow a purposeful aim,
And life has a new-found dimension,
I witness that I’m born again.
I’m living my life for Jesus,
His love and grace I’ve seen;
And now that I live for Jesus,
Life has a new-found theme
Galatians 5:22-23 What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard–things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.