Author Archives: Living Life Recovery

About Living Life Recovery

I was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. I now live in Melbourne Australia with my wife Karen and my three children Duncan (22) Mitchell (20) and Ashleigh (17). I am a recovered alcoholic. recovered through the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit living in and working through me. My life mission is to help people suffering from addiction to discover personal relationship with Jesus Christ so they to can experience what it means to be truly sober.

Recovery is a Choice

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meSince this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish.

No matter how we ended up in the process of recovery the choice to keep on going is one we consciously made. On making the choice we need to adapt the process of living the Twelve Steps in every area of our lives. We need to start living life as God wants us to live. Standing up against our old ways of thinking, acting, and feeling. Resisting the temptation to fall back into our old ways so we can live the life God is leading us in and completing His purpose for us through His strength and guidance.

Verse of The Day

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This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. 1 John 3:1
Verse of the Day

God Can Be Trusted

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Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
                                                                                                                             Hebrews 10:23-24
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Motivation

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Isaiah 41:10 Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

It’s been  a little while since I posted a daily reflection. I have been busy, with work and with other things. But tonight as I sit alone in a motel room I read the above verse and it motivated me to write.

Addiction is factual. There is no denying it. We can get addicted to so many things. Things that appeal to our ego’s and give a false impression that we are doing alright.  Things that life without them seems so unappealing and unbearable to us we can’t do without them. Things that can cause us bearable pain and acceptable discomfort. Things that if we want to live life differently and grow spiritually we need to consciously deny ourselves.

Physical adaption of self-denial is always rewarding, and morally character enhancing. we may ask ourselves “will I ever overcome _________? ”  Adopting an attitude of defeat when it comes to self-denial is a way to certain failure. Challenging our innermost spirit is the way to bring about physical change and spiritual growth in our lives.

Remember “WHEN I CAN’T GOD CAN.” He can make chaos disappear. He can bring order into our lives and give us the power to resist whatever temptations may present. He can become our motivation not just for living life overcoming our addictions but to living lives that excel above anything we can ever expect to achieve in our own strength. Personal, daily relationship with Him needs to become the central factor in our recovery and spiritual progress.

motivation

Have Faith In God

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Let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
                                                                                                            Hebrews 10:23 

Verse of the Day

“Archie, maybe you weren’t an alcoholic, maybe it was just a phase.”

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Remember your Creator now while you are young.  Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Ecclesiastes 12:6 ~ 1 Timothy 4:12

Recently someone said to me “Maybe you weren’t an alcoholic, maybe it was just a phase.” I remember when I was in my twenties someone in A.A. telling me “you can’t be an alcoholic, you are too young and you haven’t suffered enough yet.”

One of the greatest blessings in my life is the fact that at an early age (I was 23 when I attended my first rehab, was introduced to the Twelve Steps and attended my first A.A. meetings.)  One of the things that annoy me most is when people who don’t really know me. Know nothing of my past and nothing of what I went through, with God’s help to become the person I am today.

Psalms 51:5-7 says   “I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom. Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Step One of the Living Life Recovery steps says  “I admit that my life is a mess and I am out of control.” Step Two says “I believe God exists, that he cares about me and He can help me to regain control of my life.” Step Three says “I am making a decision to let God help me change and commit to working with Him to do so.”  Where in those first three steps (the foundations of all recovery) does it mention alcohol? Regardless of what we are going through. No matter the issue or the drug of choice we all need recovery.

People need to stop pointing the finger at others. Need to stop labeling others. Stop trying to justify their problems as worse than the problems of others and accept ‘We are all sinners’ and ‘we all need Jesus.’ if we want to recover and live differently.

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Proverbs 19:1  Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest.

To Know Christ Should Be Our Goal.

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Philippians 3:8 All the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant–dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ
The WORD For Recovery

Order, Safety and Security

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1 Corinthians 10:6 Now those things happened as examples for us. They are supposed to keep us from longing for evil things, as the people of Israel did.

God has made a way to escape; He encourages us to flee from sin and to be faithful to Him. The Bible is full of examples of people rightly or wrongly making choices and the consequences of those choices.

Making good choices in our lives will lead to positive long-term outcomes. Every choice for good sets into motion new opportunities for God. Every choice for evil follows the same pattern but in the opposite direction.

Every decision we make to continually move forward in recovery brings order, safety, and security to our lives.

  • What positive examples are you following from the experiences of others?

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