Paul was Powerless (step one)

The apostle Paul--before his conversion and transformation, when he was still known as Saul-- could not explore powerlessness. He was intoxicated by the power he could wield, even if it placed him in opposition to God's plan for his life. Yet, God pursued Saul, despite his power-hungry, murderous state of mind, to call him to a new direction, a totally transformed purpose. So that he could stop persecuting the gospel and start preaching it, God made him totally blind and dependent on others to lead, feed and shelter him. He had to except powerlessness and unmanageability in order to be used by God in powerful and amazing ways.

We also must first accept our powerlessness and inability to manage before we can be freed from addiction and become a channel for God in ways we could never imagine.

This is an excerpt from The Life Recovery Workbook by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop

Step One - Admission

Admission is one hard task to fulfill when it's time but God will give you the strength to complete this sometimes painful and difficult step. Step One says, "I ADMIT THAT I AM POWERLESS OVER THE PROBLEM CONTROLLING MY LIFE. MY LIFE HAS BECOME UNMANAGEABLE" And that's just it, admitting out loud and deep within to the God of the universe and your sponsor that I Am Powerless.

Humility and a sense of giving it all up to God after being in control my whole life, is a huge change that many people have done successfully. Without this brokenness we can't move forward. The old adage goes like this, "If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always gotten."

Making this decision will bring you closer to breaking the old habits we get so accustom to. It will not only teach us to be humble but to let go of the controlling power that has lead us to broken relationships, wrong decisions, and unwelcome consequences.
In those old controlling problems we usually face cycles of deception which are cycles of behavior that seem normal and comfortable. You may have familiar thoughts like; "that's how I've always responded to this situation and it seemed to buy me some time." We can't use the same reasoning that we've used before like, "I'll stop doing it next week or I'll change when she changes." The bible says in Romans 7:18,19 "I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway."

When we recognize that we are rotten in our flesh and that in order to get through this difficult time in our life, we must "ADMIT WE ARE POWERLESS OVER_____________, AND IT IS CONTROLLING MY LIFE!

Go ahead and read that statement again out loud and place in the blank the biggest thing that controls your life. As you speak and confess you will sense a giving up control. Call your sponsor and admit it to him. Realize that God knows all things and He knew you were going to do that! He will give you power to overcome life's struggles.

You are headed to the path of a "New Life." Believe that God is on your side. His word says that He will never leave you nor forsake you. His plans are to prosper you and to give you hope and a future. He cares for you just as much as he does a newborn babe. His love for you is so deep and wide He sent His only Son to die for you. He also said Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends John 15:13.

Prayer: Father in heaven You are awesome! Thank you for giving me the strength to carry out today. I need you more today than yesterday. My life has become unmanageable and out of control. Please help me through the coming days of change. I want to change and seek Your will and not mine. I am trusting You, Lord.
In Jesus Name I Pray!

The Steps

If you look at the side bar on the left and scroll down a bit, you will notice the 12 Christian Steps to Recovery. Since we are kicking off a new year, I believe it is the perfect time to start discussing the 12 steps so that those of you that have never worked them, will better understand how they work and what God accomplishes through them.
The "Life Recovery Workbook" by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop puts it best: "It is about transformation: from death to life, from addiction to recovery. It is about walking humbly, righteously, and mercifully with God while accepting and doing his will. In our compulsions and addictions, we have opposed God's will by hurting ourselves, our bodies, and our loved ones. We have been separated from God and from other people. The Twelve Steps are a path to finding that humble walk that leads us out of self-centeredness and closer to God's Heart".
We will be looking at each step individually, and the challenge it presents in order to start living a daily life free from from bondage. Each step presents a new challenge in itself, but none were meant to stand alone. All twelve steps are needed to be worked in order, each one preparing us for the next as we develop greater humility and openness to God.
Though the road to recovery can be hard and painful work, it is worth it. God meets us on this path as we become willing to take each step toward a better life. As we go forward we lose are old old ways of coping and our old struggles, and we begin to experience spiritual growth. A new found honesty, humility and courage develops in us, which are parts of our strong faith in God that allows us to face any circumstance, difficulty or feeling with grace and strength.
I would like to say, for those of you wanting to do the twelve steps, I highly suggest finding a recovery/ support group in your area, that works the steps. It is easier than going at it alone. What I mean is although we are never alone with Jesus as Lord of our lives, God uses people in our lives for support, teaching and accountability. In these groups you will meet people who have been, or are going through the same circumstances as you. Together you will share your struggles and triumphs supporting each other, and praying for one another on the journey to recovery, forming new bonds and friendships along the way. Having a sponsor from your group is discipleship, someone who is able to teach you from experience what and what not to do, and who will be there for you during the times when you are struggling. They will teach you in the ways of God and his will. Sounds a lot like an Apostle huh? Well the Apostles were the same way, besides God, they were accountable to each other and responsible for teaching new disciples God's ways, so that they too would some day teach and preach. One day God will use you too!! So find a group and start your Journey to recovery today!
God Bless You All!!

Out with the old, in with the new

The Holidays are over, we celebrated the birth of our Savior and started a brand new year! And among all the busyness, and festivities of the holiday season, I overlooked one of the ministries God put me in charge of.....this blog!! I had a Christmas message, but never took the time to set down and write it. The same goes for Thanksgiving and New Years. I got sidetracked....really, really sidetracked. Then came regret...I can't believe I didn't write about being thankful, or the birth of Jesus, or a fresh start!! How could I have forgotten!! I concentrated more on doing than being, being still that is. Taking time to slow down and listen to what God has to say.
I was still yesterday morning in Church. God spoke. The message was on pressing on and grabbing hold of that for which Christ grabbed a hold of us, and not looking behind but moving toward that which is ahead. The scripture was Philippians 3:12-13 12."Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead" (NIV)

The "that" which Paul is pressing on to take hold of, and why Jesus has taken hold of us is not one, but several things. It is: 1. A personal relationship with God The Father and with Jesus. 2. The Kingdom of Heaven. 3. Grace and mercy. 4. Righteousness in Christ. In other words, perfection in Christ. Yes Paul has these things already, what he means when he says "not that I have obtained all this" is that he hasn't the fullness or completeness of it yet, as you see he goes on to say "or have already been made perfect" This is why he "presses on" so he can deepen his relationship with God and have more and more grace, mercy, and righteousness through Christ. Paul knew if he ever thought that he obtained it all, he would stop pressing on. He didn't want to be content with his current level of spirituality, so he continually strived for perfection in Christ and we should be striving for this too, but all to often our past gets in the way.

Our past, the thing that likes to come back and haunt us and holds us down, keeping from moving forward. You know, past life (our old self/sin nature), past mistakes, past regrets, etc. But did you know that good things from our past can also hold us back too. Paul never specifies about the past in verse 13, whether it's good or bad, he simply states " forgetting what is behind". Let's look at it. Once again Paul is assuring his us that he hasn't attained all of this, "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it." Then he let's us know what he does to aide in fulfilling his desire, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." Paul knows he can't look back and continue to move forward, because if does he will get off track. So he has to either stay put, or move toward what is ahead. As I said before it is not only the bad stuff in our past that can hold us back, but good things too. With all the bad things we dwell on it is nice to be able to concentrate on something wonderful in our lives. But if we dwell in the good places too long we become content, which after awhile brings about a fear of change, not wanting to move from our comfort zone. Then it has become an idol. This is why Paul doesn't specify bad past or good past, because any part of our past can become a hindrance.

So what about forgetting, does this mean we try to completely shut out or block certain memories so we can move forward? Of course not, 1. It's impossible, unless you get amnesia. Memories are stored away in our subconscious mind and though we don't always remember certain things, they are still there. 2. We need to use our past experiences to minister to others who are going through the same experience, which also keeps us humble. Finally so we can continually thank God for his abundant grace and mercy, and the many blessings and gifts he has given us, the greatest being Jesus! This too, keeps us humble. What Paul meant by forgetting is not to keep recalling the past, or dwelling on it, because that's when it becomes an obstacle. Especially if it consumes us to the point where that's all you think about. Been there, done that! We need to get past the past, Let go and Let God!! Out with the old, in with the new.
Paul's striving was not self-effort, but a passion and desire put in him by the Holy Spirit, which drove him to not be content or satisfied with a certain level of spiritual growth. And it was by yielding to the Holy Spirit that he was able to forget what was behind and strain toward what was ahead. We must daily get on our knees and get into the word, continually seeking His face, His wisdom, and His will for our lives

Pray: Father I relinquish my will into your hands today, so that I may live this day according to your will. And I ask you to show me anything in my past that I'm not letting go of so that through you, I can work on releasing myself from it and move forward. I pray you continue to put on my heart, changes that need to be made in my life, and my character so that I may better serve you Lord. I humbly ask this in Jesus name Amen

In closing I would just like to say, I am no longer dwelling on the fact that I dropped the ball on the blog ministry, and now with that monkey off my back I can move on ahead with new posts. 2010 I welcome you. Thank You Jesus!!