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Recovery is about learning to Live Life
Living Life Recovery is a safe place where people can come and investigate the reality of God’s promises for their life, at there own pace.
Category: Step 9
Step Nine – Week Two
HAVING IDENTIFIED THE PEOPLE, I HAVE HARMED. I WILL NOW GO AND MAKE RESTITUTION TO THEM. UNLESS TO DO IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM OR OTHER PAIN OR SUFFERING.
Deuteronomy 15:1 At the end of every seventh year, cancel all debts.
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,” Isaiah 58:6-9
“Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.” Colossians 2:9
Keep God’s commandment
“Imagine a person who lives well, treating others fairly, keeping good relationships— doesn’t eat at the pagan shrines, doesn’t worship the idols so popular in Israel, doesn’t seduce a neighbor’s spouse, doesn’t indulge in casual sex, doesn’t bully anyone, doesn’t pile up bad debts, doesn’t steal, doesn’t refuse food to the hungry, doesn’t refuse clothing to the ill-clad,” Ezekiel 18:5-7
⁃ Treat others right
Ask God to help you
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Matthew 6:12
Luke 11:4 “Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”
Do what He shows you and tells you to do
Isaiah 43:25 “I am the one who takes care of your sins—that’s what I do. I don’t keep a list of your sins.
Do what is good
HAVING IDENTIFIED THE PEOPLE, I HAVE HARMED, I WILL NOW GO AND MAKE RESTITUTION TO THEM. UNLESS TO DO IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM OR OTHER PAIN OR SUFFERING
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Romans 15:1
God expects us to help our neighbours. In Luke 10 in the Bible Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our others
When it comes to loving others we can often justify how why we feel that way. Or we can convince ourselves they are not really my neighbours. Our neighbours according to God is anyone who is in need. Loving them means acting towards them in ways that meet their needs and not putting hurdles in front of them.
As we all have problems and all have needs this tells me that God wants us to love everybody. That doesn’t mean love and approve everything they do. We all need God’s help to love others and we all need God’s help to do what is good for them
Bible-based recovery comes with the expectation that as we grow spiritually and get to know God better we will learn to love others.
No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! 1 John 4:12
Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Have are you doing to help others?
Bless your enemies
HAVING IDENTIFIED THE PEOPLE, I HAVE HARMED, I WILL NOW GO AND MAKE RESTITUTION TO THEM. UNLESS TO DO IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM OR OTHER PAIN OR SUFFERING.
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person.” Luke 6:27-28
This I found hard to get my head around until I started to understand, most of the people I was holding resentments against didn’t even know it.
The only person we destroy when we hold onto resentment is ourselves.
Recovery is going to highlight some bad situations we have been in. We can get resentful and feel sorry for ourselves but we don’t need to stay that way. We can remove resentment from our lives by honestly expressing our pain and shame to God, forgiving others, and concentrating on changing ourselves.
- Are you content with who you are today?
- Are there resentments you need to let go of?
treat everyone with respect
Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Romans 12:10
Show me how you work, God; School me in your ways. Psalms 25:4
Don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. 1 Corinthians 4:5
Prayer: God help me today to let go of my past and concentrate on being all You want me to be.
Change What You Say
HAVING IDENTIFIED THE PEOPLE, I HAVE HARMED, I WILL NOW GO AND MAKE RESTITUTION TO THEM. UNLESS TO DO IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM OR OTHER PAIN OR SUFFERING.
A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. Matthew 12:35
A good person produces good words! What we say should please God. When you speak to others would you speak differently if you thought God was examining every word you said? Would He approve of your words and your thoughts?
As we progress in recovery we need to change the way we think and the way we speak. I used to swear a lot. I don’t know why I just did. And I used to think all the wrong thoughts. Until I came into a relationship with the Holy Spirit, started to check myself and ask myself the question: “Would God approve?” We change what we say when we allow God’s love to guide our day.”
YOUR WORDS REVEAL YOUR MOTIVES TO GOD
Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.” Matthew 12:36-37
YOUR WORDS CAN HELP OR HINDER OTHERS
A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire. Proverbs 15:1
SOMETIMES IT’S BEST TO SAY NOTHING
Describe Your Past
Today we are encouraged to live ‘one day at a time.’ To learn the lessons we need to learn from our past mistakes and failures
CARING IS A CHOICE
We are not all meant to teach, we are not all meant to become Sponsors or mentors, but we are all meant to care.
YOU ARE ENOUGH
One of our biggest problems in the process of recovery is our own self-worth.
LET GO OF RESENTMENT
Now you are at a turning point in your relationship with God and others how do you feel?
HAVING IDENTIFIED THE PEOPLE, I HAVE HARMED, I WILL NOW GO AND MAKE RESTITUTION TO THEM. UNLESS TO DO IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM OR OTHER PAIN OR SUFFERING.
Matthew 5:23 “Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother has something against you.”
This scripture in Matthew goes on to say “If you remember someone has something against you leave your gift and go and make peace, then come back and offer your gift.” That tells me the process of making restitution in continued spiritual growth is a big one.
This is not always an easy step to take. To let go of all resentment. To give it to God and then go and make peace with the people you resent goes against everything we have ever done in life before. But it is necessary because if we don’t resentment will lead us back down that path of despair.
Prayer: God grant me the strength to let go of resentment. To trust you as I go to those I resent repairing relationships
THIS CERTAIN HOPE OF BEING SAVED
life that became. Drinking, drugging, and staying away from those close to me became my norm. I thought “If they don’t know where I am and what I am doing it won’t affect them.” How wrong was I? This was mainly in my teenage years and early 20’s.
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Living Life Recovery is a safe place where people can come, share and investigate the realities of God’s promises for themselves.
We believe that as we investigate God’s promises for our lives and practice the ‘Spiritual Principles of Recovery’ as outlined in ‘God’s Word’ we will find the strength and freedom we need to live productive and peaceful lives.
We welcome anyone who has a sincere desire to change their lives. To rise above the pain and turmoil caused by dependencies and compulsive behaviors their own lives or the lives of a loved one or friend.
2022, Discussion Starter, Day 148
Responsible Trust in God requires seeking His will and His power to carry it out. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://livingliferecovery.com/2022/05/28/2022-day-148-discussion-starter/
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