God’s Will
Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom.
Tag: Want
Read the Bible
Recovery is a consistent process of spiritual growth so is understanding the Bible.
God Develop in Me a Clean Heart
Scripture Reading: Psalms 51:1-10
Focus Verse: Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires.Psalms 51:10
WE ARE NOT BORN WITH GOOD CHARACTER
Deuteronomy 8:2 You must remember the entire trip that the Lord your God has led you through these 40 years in the desert. He was testing you. He wanted to make you humble. He wanted to know what is in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands.
GOD WANTS TO DEVELOP GOOD CHARACTER IN US
James 5:11 What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
2 Chronicles 33:10-12 When God spoke to Manasseh and his people about this, they ignored him. Then Gud directed the leaders of the troops of the king of Assyria to come after Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose, shackles on his feet, and took him off to Babylon. Now that he was in trouble, he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—total repentance before the God of his ancestors.
GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO WORK HARD. HE WANTS US TO WORK SMART
Job 5:17 Happy is the person whom God corrects! Do not resent it when he rebukes you. Psalms 119:71-72 The punishment you gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They are more valuable to me than millions in silver and gold!
1 Peter 2:19 It is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 He [God] told me: “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I will brag even more about my weaknesses in order that Christ’s power will live in me. Therefore, I accept weakness, mistreatment, hardship, persecution, and difficulties suffered for Christ. It’s clear that when I’m weak, I’m strong.
WHEN FAITH IS TESTED CAN IT BE TRUSTED?
Psalms 73:26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Psalms 109:31 He’s always at hand to take the side of the needy, to rescue a life from the unjust judge.
Psalms 121:5 God’s is your Guardian, right at your side to protect you—Matthew 16:25-26 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Final thought:
“We do not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.” “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
HOW = Honesty, Open-Mindedness, and Willingness
Talk to God then listen
On completion of my list of sinful habits, I will confess them to God and
to someone that I trust.
Psalms 40:12 There are more troubles all around me than I can count. My sins have caught up with me, and I can’t see any longer. My sins are more than the hairs of my head. I have lost all hope.
Sin creates a barrier between us and God. If we want to break down the barriers we need to understand God is greater than the barrier. Through the process of recovery, He has given us hope for reconciliation with Him.
Prayer is one of the most important processes of recovery. I learned early on in recovery that when I talked to God, listened to His response and guidance things were a lot easier.
From a personal point of view, I also realised I have to think too much about something it is not good for me and it is not from God.
WHAT WE NEED NOT WHAT WE WANT
When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. Why? Because you ask for the wrong reason..
James 4:3
IT TAKES FAITH
Without faith, it isn’t possible to please God. Hebrews 11:6
IT TAKES BELIEF
“I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it.” Mark 11:24
STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT
Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him.
Philippians 4:6
Prayer: Lord when I talk to You teach me to also stop and listen.
Set the right examples
Now that I am in the process of change, I will check myself daily to make sure I am not slipping back into my old ways and if I am, I will take steps to rectify it.
How have you changed through recovery?
Romans 16:19 Everyone has heard that you obey God. So you have filled me with joy. I want you to be wise about what is good. And I want you to have nothing to do with what is evil.
As we grow spiritually through recovery other people notice. We should be happy about that. Through our change in attitudes, actions, and behaviors other people should be seeing us change and looking to follow our examples.
I am sure you have heard the saying “Don’t tell me show me.” What we say and do in our lives from here on in is important. We are responsible for following Christ’s example and we are responsible for setting the right example for others. The best definition of insanity I have ever heard is “Doing the same thing expecting different results.” Recovery is about changed lives.
What examples are you setting?
Prayer: Lord help me to set the right examples through doing what’s right
Discussion Starter #45
Hearing and Understanding
Proverbs 2:2 Let your ears listen to wisdom. Apply your heart to understanding.
Growing up we learn to hear. Maturity comes when we understand and apply what we have heard to our lives.
Now, not everything we hear is wisdom, nor good for us so we need to practice through the process of recovery to discern between what to apply and what to reject.
In the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous I would hear the words ‘take what you want and leave the rest.’ Which basically left me to choose what I accepted and rejected from the program. A dangerous option for someone who had spent their life doing just that.
Recovery is not about taking what you want. Recovery is about understanding you need to do what God wants.
- Are you ready to accept your need to do what God wants?
#Understand #Need #Want
What The Bible Says
My people will live in the safety of my shade. They will grow like grain. They will bloom like vines.
We will no longer be babies in the faith. We won’t be like ships tossed around by the waves. We won’t be blown here and there by every new teaching. We won’t be blown around by the cleverness and tricks of people who try to hide their evil plans. Instead, we will speak the truth in love. We will grow up into Christ in every way.
Prayer: Lord today open my heart and mind to You.
What The Bible Says
Yell a loud NO to the Devil
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way. You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.” So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. James 4:1-7 #Want #Lust #Risk
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.
The Right Thing To Do
Step Eight As part of the process of change, I will identify and record everyone I have harmed and through prayer become willing to make restitution to them.
1 Peter 3:10 Scripture says, “Do you want to love life and see good days? Then keep your tongues from speaking evil. Keep your lips from telling lies.
Because God is watching and listening to our recovery. He will take care of us when we do the right thing. He wants us to the right thing all of the time but He also knows because we are human we won’t always do the right thing.
He wants us to do what He considers the right thing, not what we consider to be the right thing. We learn what God thinks is the right thing through reading His Word. We also know what God considers to be the right thing through our consciences.
All of us have a God-built system of knowing what is right and what is wrong but we need to pay attention to it.
– When have You done what God wanted instead of what you wanted because it was the right thing to do?
Prayer: God help me to see and do the right thing in every situation I find myself in today.
Read: Exodus 20:3-17
We call them the ‘The Ten Commandments’ Hebrew text speaks about them as the ‘Ten Words’ Ten words necessary to establish the necessary conditions for a free, loving and just community of God’s people to develop in.
They are:
Only One God: What is your greatest priority? Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.” One True Higher Power and His name is Jesus Christ.
No Idols: Worship only Him. Genesis 1:27 God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. Are you living in the likeness of God? Is there anything in your life you are putting ahead of Him?
Don’t Misuse God’s Name: God demands we represent Him properly. Acts 17:28 says “We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.'” As such we should respect Him and communicate His importance in our lives to others as His chosen children.
Sabbath Rest: Time set apart for rest, spiritual rejuvenation and worship. An opportunity to draw closer to God and enhance our relationship with Him. 1 Peter 2:2 says “Like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.”
Honour Your Father And Your Mother: Take seriously your relationships with
elders, they are older and wiser because they have more ‘Life Experience.’ Mark 7:13 says when we fail to honour our parents “You scratch out God’s Word and scrawl a whim in its place.”
Don’t Murder: Life is a precious gift! 2 Peter 3:9 says “God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”
Anger and rage in our life have no place and because God loves us all and values us all and tells us “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! Luke6:31 We should see the best in everyone and seek the best for everyone.
No Adultery: Men and women are designed by God to be together. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says “Relish life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift.” The decline in commitment to marriage and family in this world has contributed to the increase in broken homes and extramarital affairs. It is time or us to return to what God intended and obey God’s commandment of ‘No Adultery’
No Stealing: Practice Giving Rather Than Getting. Don’t take things or ideas that don’t belong to you. Don’t cheat on your taxes for personal benefit. Matthew 6:25 says “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.” We need to concentrate on building Godly character and values.
Giving False Testimony: Always tell the truth! Our personal relationship with Jesus is dependent on our acceptance of His Word and Truth. Ephesians 4:15 says “God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love–like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.” We do that by telling the truth and demonstrating love sincerely for others.
No Coveting: This commandment is more about how we think than how we act. God as our Provider gives us all we need to live the lives He has called us to live. Jesus said: Mark 7:20-23 “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness– all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution.” God wants our concern for others to be the motivation of our life desires. To do that we need to replace our desire for what others have with ‘service.’
If we are going to live successfully in community with others seeking and carrying out God’s will for our lives need to become our ‘Greatest Priority.’.