Step 12: Carry His Message

Well it is finally over, last night we concluded our series on the 12 steps. I plan on us spending some time talking about discipleship in recovery and then launching into a longer series on the foundations of recovery, primarily sections of Mathew, 1 Corinthians, and the entire book of James.

What we talked about last night was this idea that those of us who have been spared from the horrors of addiction, have a responsibility to help others escape it as well. My hope if you are following this is that you will have an even deeper relationship with God by this point in the steps. Then, having had that “spiritual experience” you will get busy with the business of helping others to find recovery.

Noone promised us when we got saved that all was going to go well. But even in our low spots we can still find a fellow believer who is in worse shape than we are. Or better yet a non-believer who has yet to hear the Good News.

We need to ask ourselves a few simple questions and then it is time to start kicking rear and chewing bubble gum.

• Do I have a personal relationship with Christ?
• Does ever increasing Victory in my life over sin?
• Do I believe that there are people in this world whom I can help?
• How much of my spare time do I terminate on my own selfish ends?
• How much, or specifically in what ways could I begin to give back?
• Am I consistent in my life as to how people view me?

With these questions contemplated we really need to strap on our tennis shoes and hit the ground running. There are hurting units out there and within our Church who desperately need the love of Jesus and the peace that that relationship brings.

Step 11: Pray

Step 11: Pray

One of the things that I talked about Tuesday night was how many Christians struggle with a regular prayer life. While it is good to pray in Church, it is imperative that we begin to develop a prayer life that worked at and fulfilling. We sometimes forget that God does not want to pray because he has decided we have to. God allows us a relationship with him through Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. So what we have an area in our lives where we get to. How cool is it that a God who could have thrown us away like He did the Angels who sinned, instead has decided to reconcile us back to himself.

To those of you who were at Recovery last night and need a recap of the challenge here it is.

• Begin a daily prayer practice
• Begin praying with your wife, kids, family, and friends
• Begin praying with people you do not know

Depending on your current practice pick one and start.

You can always listen to past Recovery teachings on the Recovery page.

Have a good week,
Dustin

Step 10: Trudging the Road of Sanctification

On a practical level the 10th step is really a way to measure our day as we go through our day. Here are some things I have found through working the steps to be helpful. We watch how we are thinking and acting towards others on a daily basis. Are we being selfish, inconsiderate, dishonest, resentful or fearful? When we are not if we are we should go into a time of prayer right there and ask God to remove this thought, attitude, or behavior from us. Sometimes it is helpful to discuss this with a sponsor, mentor, or friend. If we have harmed anyone we then go about making it right. At this stage of the game a simple apology will probably suffice provided we are cleaning up our mess on a daily basis. Then we once again would be Wise to turn to God again in prayer and ask whom we could help. This simple process is adapted from the original direction for the 12 steps and goes something like this.

Watch yourself move towards Sin.

Ask God to remove this thought, attitude, or behavior from us.

Discuss it with someone we trust (focusing on where we are at fault)

Make amends if we have harmed anyone

Ask God to direct us towards whom we can help.

The 10th step is not something we do at the end of the day as is popular in some 12 step groups. The 10th step is really just a new way of thinking about, and reacting to life. If we begin to operate in this way we will begin to do it naturally.

Finally, I think that it is important to note that most of us do not fall back into our sin addictions over the big catastrophes in life. When someone dies, or we get sick, or lose a job most of us turn to the Lord even more so. What leads most of us into our addiction is the continual ignoring of small issues. When I lie to you I don’t clean it up I just sweep it under the rug. When I don’t do what I am supposed to; when I cover things up. When I have made a commitment and I am supposed to be there and I’m not. I make an excuse rather than confess I was wrong. These things pile up and the continual rejection of the reality of our wickedness lulls us into a sleep of complacency which inevitably leads to a relapse in behavior. If we want to get free of our self will we will continually need to seek his Face and lean into life continually making mistakes, and admitting to them when we harm others. That is what the 10th step is about

Boast in Him

Last night, as we spent time in celebration, I was reminded how truly needy I really am for a savior. How I am not competent enough, smart enough, righteous enough, enthusiastic enough, or wise enough to earn my way into God’s favor. In fact, regardless of the personal victories I have seen, I am still a sorry, depraved and horrific example of creation. With all the self-esteem building out of the way let me say this, this is the beauty of the cross, I am not good enough nor does God expect me to be. If he expected me to be good enough he would not have come down to die for me. He gave me the law to see how much I fall short and how much I need a savior like Him to fix my wicked heart. Here are a couple of neat Bible verses to chew on this week as we get ready to complete the series on the 12 steps.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Galatians 6:14

2 Corinthians 5:21

Steps 8 and 9: Set Right The Wrong

So many of us have taken on the attitude of a victim. We stay a slave to the people who anger us, and even worse we treat them in shocking ways justifying it the entire time. What we learned in the 4th step is that we were hating ourselves through other people. Meaning when we harbor resentment we are blaming someone for some aspect of why our life didn’t turn out how we wanted it to. Well at the end of the day we all know that we are responsible for our life and so the question is: Who am I really hating when I pour energy into harboring resentment? Myself of course I am “taking poison and hoping the other guy dies”.

What we are going to do in steps 8 and 9 is reverse the process. We are going to go out and set right the wrongs we have committed against others while at the same time letting them off the hook for their mistakes. In doing this we will stop pouring energy into hating the person who screwed up our life (us). We will begin to feel nearness towards our fellows and God. We will see relationships mended and hearts healed.

The 9th step is about action. Unfortunately there is no right or wrong answer for these tough decisions when it comes to amends. What we must do is pray to God for discernment and then the courage to take action and face the people we have wounded. Get after it….

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