We're in the Process of Recovery

We are ALL in the process of recovery from something....no one is exempt from this. First let's look at the definition of recovery:

1. the act or process of recovering, esp from sickness, addictions, shock, or a setback; act of recuperation
2. the regaining of or the possibility of regaining something lost or taken away.
3. restoration or return to any former and better state or condition.
4. to reclaim from a bad state, practice, etc.

And now the definition for addiction:
1. physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses.
2. A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity.
3. having or showing a dependence, need, habit, weakness, obsession, attachment, craving, vulnerability, subordination, enslavement, subservience, over reliance on something
4. having love, passion, an attachment to, affection, fondness, zeal, fervor, or ardor for something compulsive or habitual.

An addiction is something that controls you, enslaves you to a habit or practice and is not something YOU control or even have the ABILITY to control. They come in many other forms besides alcohol and drugs and just because they may not fall within the “confines” of alcohol or drugs” does not mean they are any less of an addiction. Many people suffer from anxiety, depression, gambling, shopping, food/eating disorders, anger, finances - debt, grief, gaming and a slew of other habits not mentioned but nonetheless as much of a stronghold as those that are readily recognized. Most importantly, they rob you of the peace that God intended for you to have from the very beginning of time. Pain, trauma, anger, fear, rejection, brokenness, loneliness, grief, sorrow and violations are just a few of the reasons many people suffer addictions, but if you look closely, the reasons oftentimes mirror the addictions themselves.

ALL of the above are ultimately caused by some form of pain and as our worldly human side kicks in, we feel that if we numb that pain with whatever means each individual sees fit and is their weakness, then emotionally, we will try to convince ourselves that we'll be ok. In order to “feel ok,” we will often seek to use temporary solutions for a long term problem, such as alcohol, drugs, food, etc to mask our pain. It's the only way most people know how to deal with what they are trying to hide from. Masks are used to hide behind, to become someone else for a time. So too are addictions. The problem is when we do this, we end up feeling even worse than we did before, which sends us spinning out of control. Without the Lord.....well, we are nothing. But with Him, we can do anything in His strength, His will and with His love!

See, when we take our pain, problems and strongholds to God, He offers us PERMANENT solutions! We must have Faith and believe that His solutions will work, will have immediate and long term resolutions and that God's ways are much better than ours! This isn't always as easy as it sound but look at what Jesus says in Matthew 17:20: “So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” A mustard seed is an extremely small seed, and God uses that example to tell His children that if we would have just a very small amount of faith, and believe, we can do so much in His name! So now just imagine how much can be done with much faith?! Much faith would allow God to break the chains of addiction that binds you to this world! When we finally begin to face our problems, dealing with them head on, we realize we are not in control and it's only then that we allow God to take back the control of our lives, that healing and recovery truly begins. Recovery is a day to day process and God is ready to walk that road with you.

Fear Not...He will Strengthen and Help You!

We may never be completely healed of our addictions. By that, I mean, we may have to struggle with them here and there, or we may not always be well physically, but with a daily renewing of the mind through Jesus Christ, we can learn how to deal with our day to day afflictions. And DAY to DAY is the operative word! It's a DAILY struggle but with always seeking the Lord, we can overcome.....each day. Remember too, we are only promised today so whatever is in our lives on that day, we need to seek the Lord for His help in dealing with whatever affliction we are facing or struggling with. We can find that inner peace that will make our struggles more bearable when we relinquish control and surrender all of our issues to Jesus. God has a way of keeping us humble so we can see things through His eyes. Romans 12:2 speaks so clearly: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." He is telling us that we can't recover on our own because it's our worldly mind that prevents us and tries to work through things on a worldly level, but only by the RENEWING of our minds, will that transformation take place!

There are also times when we go through spiritual warfare, which can sometimes lead us down the path to addiction and self destruction. In order to fully combat this, we need to remember to wear the full Armor Of God. In Ephesians 6:10-18 it states: "v10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. v11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. v12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. v13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. v14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, v15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; v16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. v17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; v18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...."

A good idea when struggling with anything is to seek out an accountability partner...someone you can call when you're feeling low and are feeling temptation creeping up on you. Here are some tips to finding an accountability partner I found while doing my research for this entry: It was posted on a thread and I found it pretty spot on:

1. Are they the same gender as you? Accountability partners should be the same gender if at all possible.
2. Does their walk match their talk?
3. Do they have a growing relationship with Jesus Christ?
4. Do they show compassion, care and hope, but not pity?
5. Are they a good listener?
6. Are they strong enough to confront your denial or procrastination?
7. Do they offer suggestions?
8. Do they share their own current struggles with you?

An accountability partner will never trip you up in your recovery from your addiction, affliction or habit. They will support you, guide you spiritually and encourage you to face your situation and provide biblical scripture to back things up. They will listen and encourage, but won't do the work for you. Ecc 4:9-12 says this, 
"v9) Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. v10) For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. v11) Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? v12) Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken." These are beautiful scriptures to help us seek out those who are willing to be our accountability partner, to seek those who are spiritually mature and share their struggles with you which builds up trust between the two of you. Have you ever had a so called friend who only wants to hear your "stuff" but never shares anything personal or deeper than the surface talk? Yea, it's not so easy to call those people a true friend nor would it be easy to seek them out for an accountability partner. God's instructions are there for a purpose. To instruct.

Here are a few scriptures to call upon and remember when you're in a battle or struggling. These will help you to remember that Jesus' way is much more peaceful than our own ways and with much better, and lasting, results.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 - "v3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, v4) who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. v5) For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ."

Mark 10:51-52 - "v51) So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” v52) Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road." (A testament to the Healing powers of our Lord and Savior if we ask with faith and belief!)

Matthew 7:7-8 - "v7) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. v8) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

John 16:23-24 - "23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

1 Peter 5:6-7 - "v6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, v7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

We often remember Job when we have are going through difficulties, but we also should remember Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water towards them in Matthew 14:22-33, "v22) Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. v23) And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. v24) But the boat was now in the middle of the sea,[a] tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. v25) Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. v26) And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. v27) But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” v28) And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” v29) So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. v30) But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” v31) And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” v32) And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. v33) Then those who were in the boat came and[c] worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

When everything was calm, Peter said "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus simply said "Come". With his eyes fixed only on Christ, Peter got out of the boat and walked confidently on the water in faith towards Him. But then the wind picked up and the waves came crashing around him, he became afraid, most likely removing his eyes from Christ and he began to sink, crying out "Lord, save me!" How many times have we done this very same thing...had our eyes fixed only on Christ when our struggles were minimal but as soon as those huge waves came crashing all around us, overwhelming us, we became fearful and removed our eyes from Christ in doubt and began to sink thinking "why is this happening to me? Lord, save me!". It's actually through the storms of life that we find and gather our strength from Christ because through each storm we face, our eyes remaining solely on Christ, we become stronger when we proceed through it to the end. Sometimes this can take only a short time, sometimes a while longer and sometimes through most of our lives with small breaks in between. Those times aren't meant for discouragement but for building our character, our Faith, our Trust and our strength.

And with faith in Christ, we will never pass through the storms and struggles of this life alone. We have to take an active part in this though because God won't do it ALL for us. If He did, then what would we learn? Nothing. I've had to learn this the hard way some time ago and when I finally relented, surrendering my own control and reached up my hand for help, He took hold of it and proceeded to slowly pull me out of my own deep hole. He knew my mind was ready to be renewed. But before that though, I wasn't ready nor was I willing to change myself, so He waited until I was! I had to feel a lot of pain in the meantime but it was my fault for not surrendering earlier! Then again, if I didn't go through that period in my life, I doubt if I'd be the person I am today! It's funny but He knows how stubborn I can sometimes be, so He waited for me to surrender.We worked together to heal me but not separately because I had to do my part too. A great lesson learned and not forgotten! But He is the ultimate Teacher and I'm His student seeking His truth daily! I've learned many things but one thing I've learned is it's patient endurance...endure all things patiently. Although sometimes that is NOT an easy thing to practice, but it's not impossible.

Our troubles, afflictions and addictions increase when we become focused on the things of this world. Usually, it's those things of the world that helped us spin out of control in the first place. Jesus said the treasures of this world are subject to decay and can be taken away but heavenly treasures are secure (Matthew 6:19). Therefore, set your priorities on God and not how YOU can handle something, or what YOU can do to change something. God completely understands our struggles. Since He became one of us in the flesh born of a virgin, He understands us even more profoundly than we could ever understand ourselves. Every single Christian struggles with one thing or another. We all have doubts creep in from time to time, have tough questions and idolatrous, addictive and afflicted tendencies, which is simply being a part of our human experience. Our loving God preempted that though, which is why He enacted the sending of His Only Begotten Son before the very creation of the universe. Remember that we are NOT of THIS WORLD! We live IN the world but because we are a born again Christ believer with the Holy Spirit indwelling in us, we are NOT OF this world.

In closing, all of our stories we've written along our paths in this life, are part of who we are, who we've become and what we will be. We've written all kinds of stories, experienced all kinds of emotions and stayed in continuous recovery throughout the process. And we are still in recovery. Each day is a new day, true, but each day brings new experiences and some of those experiences may remind us of something in the past that will remind us that we still may not be over "it." The lesson then is to continue to seek the Lord and lay your troubles down at the foot of the cross, call upon His name and He will never leave you nor forsake you! Surrender to Him and His ways, give the keys to Him and let Him drive! Recovery is an ongoing procedure, one that gives each of us a new outlook, a new strength and the ability to see another hurting and in pain. As we recognize that in another, we can relate and come to their aid....because we've hurt too! We've struggled too! We will forever be in the process of recovery but what a glorious day it will be when we are taken home to be with the Lord because there, in Heaven, in His Kingdom, there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more struggles! I pray I see YOU there!

There is a crack in every one of us.....that's where the light gets in!



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