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The Four Stages of Recovery7. January, 2010General PenfieldNo comments
In the workbook, WALKING THE TWELVE STEPS WITH JESUS CHRIST, Ray Geisel, identifies four stages of recovery. This book is an excellent Christian, Bible-based Study Guide for use in recovery from addictions to drugs and/or alcohol. STAGE ONE – THE FOUNDATION STAGE Stage one is the foundational stage. This stage encompasses steps one, two, and three. II Corinthians 5:17, says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” In step one, I admit that, by MYSELF WITHOUT JESUS, I am powerless over my addiction, that my life has become unmanageable. I can’t overcome my out of control addictive behavior by myself. In step two, I come to believe That God in Jesus Christ can correct this problem. In step three, I make a decision to give my total will and life over to the care of Jesus as I understand Him. SAGE TWO – THE DISCOVERY AND HEALING STAGE Stage two includes, identifying the causes and hurts in our spiritual life, which ultimately led to our addictive behavior. After identifying the pain and hurt in our lives we bring them to Jesus Christ for healing. Through His grace and forgiveness we are freed from the pain of our past. The final phase of this stage includes seeking forgiveness from those we have hurt and those who have hurt us. This allows for ultimate healing and forgiveness. STAGE THREE – THE BUILDING STAGE In this part of the recovery process we recognize the fact that today is the most important part of my recovery. AA says, “one day at a time at a time.” The Bible says, Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” In this stage we are building a house of recovery and relationship with God. STAGE FOUR – THE OVERCOMING IN JESUS STAGE In recovery circles this stage is known as the maintenance phase of recovery. At Penfield we sing about our “Victory In Jesus.” This stage is claiming and walking in our Victory. Our victory is possible because of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on the cross. There is no real healing or recovery apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Incoming search terms for the article: |
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When Tempted, Humble Yourself Before God by Rick Warren7. January, 2010General PenfieldNo comments“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). There is always a way out! You may sometimes feel that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear, but that’s a lie from Satan. God has promised never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome. However, you must do your part too by practicing biblical methods for defeating temptation. First and foremost, you want to refocus your attention on something besides the temptation. It may surprise you that nowhere in the Bible are we told to “resist temptation.” We’re told to “resist the devil,” and that is very different (James 4:7). The Bible says we’re to refocus our attention because trying to resist a thought simply doesn’t work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure. Let me explain: Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your memory. By resisting it, you actually reinforce it. Whatever you resist, persists. This is especially true with temptation. You don’t defeat temptation by fighting the feeling of it. The more you fight a feeling, the more it consumes and controls you. You strengthen it every time you think it. Since temptation always begins with a thought, the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn your attention to something else. Don’t fight the thought, just change the channel of your mind and get interested in another idea. This is the first step in defeating temptation. The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you. That’s why Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman” (Job 31:1 NLT). And David prayed, “Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless” (Psalm 119:3a TEV). Incoming search terms for the article:
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