Category: Devotions

2022 | Day Twenty Two | Verse For Today

22nd January 2022 aeboyle 2022, Devotions, January, Podcast Comments Off on 2022 | Day Twenty Two | Verse For Today

I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?
Psalms 8:4

Have you ever thought to yourself “Why does God care what I do?” What is so important about me?

Starting on Monday is my intention to introduce a new devotional series called ‘EXPERIENCE – STRENGTH and HOPE’ Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time will probably be saying “What’s new about that?”

My reasoning is this:

We are all probably aware of the saying “YESTERDAY IS HISTORY – TOMORROWS A MYSTERY – TODAY IS A GIFT FROM GOD.” And, the encouragement in the recovery process to ‘LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME!’

I believe history is for remembering and learning from. The mystery of the journey of recovery is that none of us have any idea where it is going to take us. My life today is nothing like I expected it to be when I took the first step of recovery and made a decision to do something about my messed-up life. Today my life is far better than anything I could have imagined. I am thankful to God for that.

All I had to do was learn to trust Him and follow where He led me. This brings me to the latest idea for sharing in a devotional format my experience, strength, and hope.

For years now I have wanted to write an autobiography because I believe my story is worth telling. But every time I start I end up nowhere and I give up. The result is aI have lots of paperwork on different parts of my life scattered in different areas of my belongings.

Sharing my experience, strength, and hope via this blog has become for me a lifeline. But, I believe recovery is more about now than it is about then. So I want to, based on the verse for today, shared on my Facebook group try and share some of my God thoughts on the process, how I learned to apply it to my life and what I believe God has given me as the way to MOVE FOWARD.

My intention was to have it available only via podcast on livingliferecvery.com but I will be honest I don’t like the sound of my own voice So I think I am going to keep it the way it is now text to speech via my AnchorFM podcast,

I also don’t like videos of myself so maybe I never produce another video, Lets’ wait and see.

Enough of my rambling. Please enjoy today’s #VERSEFORTODAY

Verse For Today

“WE ALL LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE
– BUT SOME OF US NEED TO GO TO SUMMER SCHOOL.”

Some of us don’t understand our own experiences/ we have been so busy trying to survive. Placing one foot instead of the other we haven’t had time to take inventory on the things we have gone through, and the lessons God wants us to learn from them.

“WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FORGET ANY EXPERIENCE, HOWEVER PAINFUL THEY ARE.”

Recovery is not about forgetting our past. We all know how to cover up our emotions. Most of us have done it for so long as a protective measure we aren’t sure ourselves how we felt about the things we have gone through.

Luke 21:34-36 tells us to”Be on your guard. Not to let our expectations be dulled by parties and drinking.”

A Day is coming that is going to take us by complete surprise. Going to spring on us, everything becoming evident to us all at once.

 It tells us not to fall asleep but to be ready. To pray constantly that we will have the strength and the wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on our feet.”

1 Corinthians 1:25 “Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”

Two quotes I read about strength said:

YOU WERE GIVEN THIS LIFE BECAUSE
YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO LIVE IT.

God has been with each of us up until this point of our lives. He isn’t going anywhere, so we need to put our faith and trust in His strength to help us to overcome whatever life throws at us. To help us to mature and develop into the productive people He designed us to be with His help.

The second quote I read said:

WHENEVER YOU FIND YOURSELF DOUBTING HOW FAR
YOU CAN GO, JUST REMEMBER HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME. REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU HAVE FACED, ALL THE BATTLES YOU HAVE WON, AND ALL THE FEARS YOU HAVE OVERCOME.

The road to recovery is not an easy road to travel. The journey so far for most of us has been one of problems and issues that in our own strength we have been unable to fix. The Good News   is we don’t have to fix them anymore in our own strength. God brought us this far and He wants to take us all the way to success in reshaping our lives according to his purpose for us.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.

Stop focusing on what was – Start focusing on what is and what is to come.

Matthew 12:15-21 says “Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:

Look well at my handpicked servant; I love him so much, take such delight in him. I’ve placed my Spirit on him; he’ll decree justice to the nations. But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice; there’ll be no commotion in the streets. He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings, won’t push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph; the mere sound of his name will bring hope, even among far-off unbelievers.

We all know the saying:

“YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, TOMORROW IS A MYSTERY, TODAY IS A GIFT OF GOD, WHICH IS WHY WE CALL IT THE PRESENT.”

History is something to remember and learn from. The mystery of this journey of recovery is that none of us have any idea where it is going to take us. My life today is nothing like I expected it to be when I took the first step on the journey.

IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN I COULD HAVED IMAGINED – and, for that I am thankful to God.

Another quote I read in preparation for this message says:

“THEY SAY A PERSON NEEDS JUST THREE THINGS TO BE TRULY HAPPY IN THIS WORLD: SOMEONE TO LOVE, SOMETHING TO DO, AND SOMETHING TO HOPE FOR.”

  1. LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS
  2. GET ON WITH THE LIVING THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY AS PRESENTED BY GOD
  3. HOPE AND PRAY THAT HE WILL USE YOU TO BE DIFFERENT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Who wants to be like everybody else?

Today’s verse for the day is:

Psalm 8:4 “I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do you [GOD] bother with us? Why take a second look our way?”

2 Chronicles 6:18 Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood?

Acts 7:49 “Heaven is my throne room; I rest my feet on earth. So, what kind of house will you build me?” says God. “Where I can get away and relax?

God does not want to take any of us anywhere we do not need to go through the recovery process. He wants to take us and go with us to the places we need to go to become the people He created us to be. Sharing in a relaxed relationship with Him.

2021 | Day 362

28th December 2021 aeboyle 2021, Devotions, Discussion Starters, PDF Comments Off on 2021 | Day 362

1 Peter 2:16 Live like free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live like people who serve God.

Serving others is real leadership. In Matthew 20:26 Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” Instead of judging others, we are called to serve them. Jesus came to earth with a mission “to serve others and die for their sin.” Real leaders have servant’s hearts, appreciate the worth of others, and realize they are not above being used to serve wherever they are needed. Real leaders don’t wait to be asked before they get involved and do what needs to be done.

In recovery, there are lots of opportunities to serve. Recovery works best when we are all involved.

  • What can you do to serve others where you are right now?

Prayer: Lord, help me to be more like You in my willingness to serve others. Open doors for me to walk through that lead others back to You

Good morning all. Posted this with pdf as a tester for next year’s posts. Join me on January 1st here as we commence the Living Life Recovery series for 2022.

2021-Day362-Serve-OthersDownload

2021 | Day 361

27th December 2021 aeboyle 2021, December, Devotions Comments Off on 2021 | Day 361

TELL – TEACH – TRAIN

I never realized how many Christian songs I know or what an effect they have had in my spiritual walk. As I lay in bed this morning in discussion with the Holy Spirit I was prompted to consider these three words and some of the influential songs I have heard over 30+ years that are now a part of my spiritual being.
I was thinking about the mission God has given me in my life and these three words capture what He has called me to do and to be.

I WANT TO TELL WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR ME – and wants to do for you
I want to tell you what the Lord has done,
What the Lord has done for me,
He lifted me from themiry clay,
Oh what a happy day.
I want to tell you what the Lord can do,
what the Lord can do for you,
He can take your life as He did mine and make it anew.

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!
Ephesians 2:8

TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE YOU – better day by day

Jesus said, “I didn’t make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. John 7:16

Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

It is time to stop worrying about the things we can do nothing about

4th August 2021 aeboyle 2021, August, Devotions, Thought For Today Comments Off on It is time to stop worrying about the things we can do nothing about

Hebrews 6:12 Knowing what lies ahead for you, you won’t become bored with being a Christian nor become spiritually dull and indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong faith and patience.

The battles ahead of us assure us that our lives going forward are going to be anything but dull and indifferent. No two days from here on are going to be the same as we grow and mature spiritually. However, the degree of involvement we have moving forward is entirely up to us. How we fill our days from here on defines our destiny. God urges careful selection on what we do from here. Wrong attachments could be our downfall, as for some of us they have in the past. We need to learn to repel our inward drive urging us to follow our self-centered interests.

Responding to the call of Jesus to step up and step out in following Him is the beginning of an adventurous but difficult journey. There will be opposition, it will not always be easy. The ‘Good News‘ is He promises us are His supportive care and His marvelous presence in our daily living. Following Him will earn us extra attention from the evil one. We can be assured he will try to convince us following his way is more interesting and more rewarding than following God’s way.

There will be hard times. Harmful remarks may be heard, hurtful practices may be aimed at us. It will not be a bed of roses. But it is the best way, the only way. It is not boring: it is fulfilling. It is a partnership with Jesus Christ. The difference between sobriety and recovery is Serenity:- Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Philippians 4:7  You will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

The Serenity Prayer in its first request to God says: “Grant me Serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” Jeremiah 29:11  says “I know the plans I have for you ………. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” It is time to stop worrying about the things we can do nothing about and start concentrating on the things God is doing something about in and through our lives.

Talk to God then listen

20th May 2021 aeboyle 2021, Devotions, May, Step 5 Comments Off on 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.

Overwhelming GUILT

18th May 2021 aeboyle 2021, Devotions, May, Prayers, Thought For Today, Verse For Today Comments Off on Overwhelming GUILT

STEP FIVE:
On completion of my list of sinful habits, I will confess them to God
and to someone that I trust. 

BIBLE READING: I’m on the edge of losing it— the pain in my gut keeps burning. I’m ready to tell my story of failure, I’m no longer smug in my sin. My enemies are alive and in action, a lynch mob after my neck. I give out good and get back evil from God-haters who can’t stand a God-lover. Psalms 38:17-20

FOCUS VERSE: Psalms 38:18  I’m ready to tell my story of failure, I’m no longer smug in my sin.

By the mercy and truth of God in Christ Jesus, the power of sin is broken.
Guilt is banished through love and truth; Fear-of-God deflects evil. Proverbs 16:6

Our hearts are affected by the excellence of the Word of God
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. Psalms 19:13

Confessing our sin to another person is an important step in the process of spiritual growth
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. James 5:16

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Overwhelmed by guilt I came to recovery. Not because I wanted to but because I had nowhere else to go. Troubled by the mess I had made of my life I wanted to do better. I didn’t want to keep living the lies and the crisis I existed in daily.

The only way out for me was God. Admitting what I had done wrong to Him was one of the greatest reliefs I have ever experienced in my life. To tell him about things I had never told anyone about, and seek His help in changing them was a saving grace in my recovery journey. I held nothing back because I was aware if I failed again I was finished.

Dramatic but true I was troubled by my sin. The solution to the solution was confession and repentance.

How are you dealing with the guilt?


Prayer: God help me to deal with the guilt. Help me to be honest with You about it and do whatever You prompt me to do to fix it.

ACTION IS THE MAGIC WORD

30th March 2021 aeboyle 2021, Devotions, Living Life Recovery, March Comments Off on ACTION IS THE MAGIC WORD

James 1:22-25 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action. 

During the time I spent in Alcoholics Anonymous I learned how to talk right in the fellowship. How to say the right things, attend the right meetings and mix with the right people to be seen to be doing well. I wasn’t but anyone you asked about me would tell you “Archie, yeah he’s doing well.” 

Recovery has nothing to do with what we say and everything to do with how we act and react.   Whilst in A.A. I read an exceptionally good book called ‘Sobriety and Beyond’ by Father John Doe. Chapter Three was headed ‘Action is the Magic Word’

I believe that book is what set me on the path of looking for God’s inclusion in my recovery.  My own experience of recovery is that without His power there is no recovery. 


RECOVERY IS NOT ABOUT WHAT WE HEAR

James 1:22 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!

James 2:14 Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?

James 2:12 Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. 


WE FORGET WHAT WE DON’T ACT ON

James 1:23-24 Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

We forget 56% of what we hear in an hour, 66% in 24 hours and 75% after 6 days.

John 5:24 “Anyone who listens to my message and believes in God who sent me has eternal life and will never be damned for his sins.”  

2 John 1:7-8There are a lot of smooth-talking charlatans loose human, a flesh-and-blood human being. Give them their true title: Deceiver! Antichrist! And be very careful around them so you don’t lose out on what we’ve worked so diligently in together; I want you to get every reward you have coming to you


WHAT WE ACT ON CHANGES OUR CHARACTER

James 1:25  Whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Romans 12:2  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  

Romans 5:3-5 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

SUCCESS IN RECOVERY IS ABOUT OUR: Attitude, behaviour and commitment

Life Recovery Daily Devotional

18th October 2020 aeboyle 2020, Devotions, October Comments Off on Life Recovery Daily Devotional

Bible Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-2

We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

Our initial goal was to stop the addictions that made our lives unmanageable. Once that was done, we may have experienced some confusion about what should come next. We may now wonder what life should be like with our addictions out of the way. Being free from our addictions may produce opportunities for us to put our talents and abilities to work. If we don’t find worthwhile outlets for the new life growing in us, we may become frustrated.

One of Jesus’ parables relates to this. He said, “Other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:8). He explained, “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:23).

Jesus described how God’s Word, received and understood, can take root in people’s lives. Its growth there will cause them to develop into the productive people God created them to be. There’s great potential within each of us! As we accept God’s perspective on our lives and respond openly to him, new life will sprout in us. This new life will then find expression in our talents and abilities. There’s a world of opportunities for growth. As we take our inventory, we need to check for signs of frustration about not using our talents and look for ways to develop them.

As we admit our wrongs, the seeds of God’s goodness and love blossom in our lives

AA Meditation for Today

17th October 2020 aeboyle Devotions, Living Life Recovery Comments Off on AA Meditation for Today

Today look upward toward God, not downward toward yourself. Look away from unpleasant surroundings, from lack of beauty, from the imperfections in yourself and in those around you. In your unrest, behold God’s calmness; in your impatience, God’s patience; in your limitations, God’s perfection. Looking upward toward God, your spirit will begin to grow. Then others will see something in you that they also want. As you grow in the spiritual life, you will be enabled to do many things that seemed too hard for you before.

Just For Today

26th March 2020 aeboyle 2020, Devotions, March Comments Off on Just For Today

As Archie Sees It

This morning I woke early and I read Luke Chapter 5. I have read it a number of time before but today it raised new, holy inspired thoughts in me and I felt compelled to share them with you tonight.

In Luke 5:1-11 Jesus tells Simon to “Go further out” he did and as a result he caught more fish than he could fit in his boat.

On reading this I thought “Am I fishing in the wrong place?” A big question but think of this, I did. “God can and does the impossible.” So who says He calls us to carry His message to others travelling the road we have traveled? Maybe He has a whole group of people we have nothing in common He wants us to introduce to Him.

Jesus then went on to say “You will be fishing for men and women.”

To me, this scripture talks about being prepared to go into places you may feel uncomfortable to meet with people you don’t understand. As human beings, most of us want to move in circles in areas in which we feel comfortable and we are scared to approach people we don understand.

In my Spiritual walk, I think I have been blessed in that I have had the opportunity to enter into many, many areas of life where I was uncomfortable and didn’t understand anything about. Yet God has used me in different ways in each of them. 6 of the best years of my life were working with the homeless in the City of Melbourne. I learned a lot, I met some of the best people I will ever meet in my life and I built relationships that will last a lifetime.

Luke 5:12-16 to me is all about ‘HEALING’ It says “If you want you can cleanse yourself.” I believe strongly that most of us don’t get well in the process of recovery cause deep down we don’t really want to. We are comfortable in our squaller because we understand it and it allows us to believe we are where we are because of circumstances outside of ourselves. But we are not! I believe that anyone who truly wants to recover will. Because they will be ‘willing to go to any lengths’ to get it.

Jesus also says in this passage “Don’t talk about this.” In the story of the paraplegic for me anyway it teaches us:

  • Regardless of the circumstances in our life ‘GOD WILL MAKE A WAY’ If we are willing to put our faith and trust in Him and do what we can to start the ball rolling in doing what we can to bring ourselves before Him.
  • The doubt of the religious scholars and Pharisees demonstrates
    a) we don’t always understand what we claim to understand.
    b) no matter how much we know it means nothing if we don’t put it into practice.
  • “Get up and walk.” Doubt can only be changed into belief when we start to trust in Him and commit to doing what He commands us to do.

Everybody needs recovery from something. “We all fall short of God’s standards for living in faith.” To that end I for one want to commit to “Stepping out in faith and trusting Him.” Even when I feel uncomfortable or don’t undeerstand.

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