Christian Recovery Using the Sword of the Spirit

Temptation is no excuse to give into addiction. Every Christian is tempted with something, but we're all expected to resist using the Bible as our instruction book. Even Jesus was tempted by the devil during his 40 days in the desert. And since Jesus is our model and we're to have the mind of Christ, all we need to do is follow his lead when temptation strikes.
In Matthew 4:4,7 and 10, Jesus’ response to the devil’s temptations started with “It is written.” This should be your response when tempted to use drugs or alcohol. Ephesians 6:17 refers to the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit. In other words, your greatest offensive weapon in the spiritual battle of addictions is scripture. If you learn the Word, you will have the weapon you need. When you wield the Sword of the Spirit, you kick the devil's butt and win the battle for your own soul, and many times will help others do the same.
 
With this in mind, it's important to get in the habit of reading your Bible every morning. Start your day empowered by the Word of God. Don't leave home without your Bible so it's easily accessible if you're suddenly hit with temptation. And memorize victory scriptures so that you are fully armed at all times. Remember, Jesus has already won the war on cross of Calvary, so you already victorious. 

God's Word is truth, and knowing His truth sets you free. 

You can learn more about how to get and stay free from addictions on The Solid Rock Road website at www.thesolidrockroad.com. You can also follow the Solid Rock Road on Twitter and Facebook. 

Christian Recovery and Elder Abuse

I have been counseling a lot of elderly people lately who don't know what to do with the addict in their life. What I've come to note is that older people don't truly understand the issues of addiction, nor can they deal with the situation properly, which is why addicts take such advantage of them. The addicts lie incessantly to get money, they steal the elderly's property to sell it for drugs, and they take over their homes.

In the past month, I have talked with two women in their 70s and 80s who have actually moved out of their homes and left the addicts to live there. In both cases, the elderly women paid the rent and all the bills. My advice to each of them was to at least charge the addicts partial rent, or have them pay the utilities. While this seemed like an obvious first step to making the addicts responsible for their lives, both women didn't believe they could ask for money from the addict, and neither had the courage to remove them from their homes. In the end, all that I could do was pray for them and offer my support with an invitation to stay in touch.

I have often said that Christians in addiction work on the fear and guilt of their loved ones.When it comes to the elderly, the addicts also work on their vulnerability. They become predators, feeding on the weaknesses of the elderly. As a result, I have come to see this behavior of addicts as a form of elder abuse.

If you are a senior citizen and find yourself in this situation, I highly recommend you get the support of other family members and that you trust the wisdom of recovery counselors. If you are a family member and your parents or grandparents have fallen victim to the addict's manipulations, please intervene and get the help that's necessary to force change.

You can learn more about The Solid Rock Road at www.thesolidrockroad.com. You can also find this Christian recovery resource on Facebook. 541-301-3717.

Knowing the Truth for Freedom from Addictions

In 2 Timothy 2:25-26, the Apostle Paul says we are to correct those who are in opposition to the truth and pray that God will grant them repentance so they will “escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

The only way to escape the snare is to know the truth by reading the Bible and accessing the mind of Christ. When all is said and done, being skilled in the Word is what will keep you in the truth, help you stay on God’s path, and transform you into a combat-ready soldier in the Army of God.

To know the truth is good, but you must come to love and crave it, the same way you have been obsessed by your drug of choice. If you make this switch in your mind, your body will follow.

Some people experience love at first sight with truth, while others grow to love it. If you have an instant connection with truth, this does not save you from deception later down the road. You have to nurture your relationship with the knowledge of God.

If you’re not automatically captivated by truth, don’t despair. If you keep searching for God’s truth, you’ll find it!

No matter how you come to love the truth, it will become part of you. When you operate in truth, you have better insight into the spiritual battle facing you. When you’re in deception, you can’t see your invisible enemy. That’s why the devil tries to prevent you from knowing the truth, often steals your truth, and covers it up. If you’re blind to the wiles of the devil, he can get away with his schemes more often than not.

It bears repeating that the truth will set you free. This truth comes in two forms: First you must be truthful about your addictions, your cycles, your thoughts, and your feelings or you will continue drinking and doing drugs. Secondly, you must know God’s truth, which gives an internal peace and guides you along The Solid Rock Road.



The Solid Rock Road is a Christian recovery program. Pastors Jerry and Jamee Pineda are the directors of the recovery ministry and are available via www.thesolidrockroad.com. There, you can find the telephone number and/or the email address to contact them.

Christian Recovery: Responding to Life’s Troubles

Being a Christian is absolutely amazing, but it definitely doesn’t prevent real life from happening. We can experience financial struggles, family problems, health issues and many life-altering circumstances that bring emotional, physical and spiritual pain. 

For those who struggle with addictions, troubles in this life can open doors to temptation and trigger serious episodes of abuse with drugs and/or alcohol. But such a cycle presents a major dilemma because God expects us to respond properly to traumas and heartbreaks. He does not promise a problem-free life. In fact, his warns us of the opposite in John 16:33 – “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” 

So what do we do as Christians when negative events occur? We look at the second half of John 16:33, which says, “But take heart, because I have overcome the world." The “I” in this Scripture refers to Jesus. The Scripture is then pointing us to His victory, which becomes our victory.

The most amazing thing about Christianity is that we can live a victorious life based on having Christ living in us – even in times of adversity, or perhaps especially in times of adversity. While our circumstances are real and cause us some level of suffering, we can take heart! In other words, we can have peace in our hearts in the midst of our pain. 

For more about Christian recovery and the The Solid Rock Road Christian Recovery program, visit www.thesolidrockroad.com. You can also follow this Christian recovery ministry on Twitter and Facebook, and find the book “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery” on Amazon.com.

Christian Recovery: Are you Addicted to the Addict?

If there’s one thing we know for sure when it comes to Christians in addiction, it’s that their lives don’t glorify God. In fact, so much about their lives are opposite of what’s described as godly in the Bible. For example, the Scriptures about the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) talk about having love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The addict doesn’t enjoy any of these fruits. In many cases, the loved ones of the addict aren’t enjoying them either.

When Christians continually choose alcohol or their drug of choice over God and the well-being of their loved ones, they are allowing Satan to operate as their master, thereby engaging the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 presents a list of these very negative behaviors, and makes it clear that “that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

While the life of an addict is crazy and filled with chaos, the loved ones usually find themselves in the center of the insanity right along with them. In most cases, family and friends get so caught up trying to save the addict, their behavior turns sinful because a ‘messianic complex’ doesn’t make room for God.

The following are the top 10 ways to tell if you or someone you know is addicted to the addict:

1.       You are obsessed with all aspects of the addict’s life.

2.       You believe you have the solution for the problem, and when one solution doesn’t work, you look for another.

3.       You live in fear. Fear of what the addict will do or won’t do.

4.       You lie to yourself. You know the addict is lying to you, but you accept the lies, thus lying to yourself.

5.       Your life is unbalanced. It’s up and down according to the actions and behaviors of the addict.

6.       You isolate, thus becoming like the addict. You stop living YOUR life.

7.       You are in the midst of a cycle. You keep doing what has proven not to work.

8.       You carry the addicts’ burdens for them, thereby saving them from suffering their own consequences.

9.       The addict is living the life they choose. You are living your live based on those choices.

10.   You are unable to properly function in your job, your family, your ministry and in other relationships.

The Solid Rock Road Christian recovery program is not only a resource for Christians seeking freedom from addictions, it is also a resource for the loved ones of addicts who become enmeshed in the problem. To learn more about how the recovery team can help, visit the website at www.thesolidrockroad.com. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

You can also find our RECOVERY BOOK on Amazon.com "Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery." 

Christian Recovery: Reconciling Your Past

Most people have had traumatic experiences and life-changing events that shouldn’t have happened. And though we can’t wish them away, we can look at them in this light: Bad things have happened, but they’re not happening any more. With this reality, we don’t have to remain victims of our painful times. Instead, we can choose to be set free and enjoy what’s in store for the overcomers.

The only way our past can negatively interfere with our present is when we continue to live as victims of bad experiences. When we’re in the victim cycle, we relive the trauma over and over. We keep asking God and others why such a thing happened, and we obsess about the people who were part of it. We give all our energy to the event, which means that it has power over us, and controls our souls. Since our souls are made up of our mind, will and emotions, these hurtful experiences control how we think, feel and act.

When we use our past as an excuse to wallow in self-pity or to abuse alcohol or drugs, we’re far from the freedom Jesus Christ died for. It’s like we’re looking at the purifying, cleansing and healing blood of Jesus, but saying “No thank you.” When we reconcile our past through the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, we’re receiving the gift of freedom, and we’re eager to use our experiences as testimonies to God’s amazing grace and power.

Are you denying the power of God by carrying your past into the present as a victim? If so, the sincere acts of repentance, release and forgiveness will bring you in alignment with God and give you victory.

The Solid Rock Road is a Christian recovery program based in Medford, Oregon. The system is available for churches and Christian organizations anywhere in the world with the use of our recovery book and group facilitation manual, both available on Amazon.com and on our website, www.thesolidrockroad.com. You can also follow The Solid Rock Road on Twitter and Facebook.

Watch Out for the Wiles of Satan: Christian Recovery

When you’re using drugs and alcohol, you're interacting with the kingdom of darkness. In many cases, no matter how much self-determination and strength you gather on your own, you don’t have enough power to break free from the hold Satan has on you. That’s because you’re battling a physical addiction, along with a battle in your mind. This combination is used by Satan to keep you in the cycle of addiction, even though you may have the desire to quit. You can even be desperate to quit, but feel unable to follow through on the promises you make to yourself and others.

Many people have won the physical battle of addiction, but get trapped by the lies that continue in the mind. Satan is called the father of lies for a reason and in Ephesians 6:11, his tactics are called ‘wiles.’ The word ‘wiles’ is defined in the dictionary as “A stratagem or trick intended to deceive or ensnare.”

So there you go! Satan has a strategy and he’ll come up with every trick in his evil book to keep you in his clutches. Therefore, the first lie to eliminate from your mind is that you can’t get set free from addictions. The truth is, YOU CAN!

When you fully surrender your addictions and thinking processes to God, you remember that He is more than enough. God has the power to set you free, while the devil only has the power that you hand over to him based on his lies, tricks and wiles. That alone should make you mad enough to say “No!” to the devil’s tactics, and “Yes” to God’s plan for your life.

In your addiction, you often see Satan as the one with all the power. You can’t resist him because you’re surrendered to him. If you transfer your obedience to God, you will be shocked and amazed by His power, love, and grace.

If you need help with the battle in your mind, you can call one of the counselors of The Solid Rock Road at 541-778-8680. You can also check out our website at www.thesolidrockroad.com and our Christian recovery book that is used by individuals and in the Christian recovery group process. It’s titled “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway toRadical Recovery,” and is available on Amazon.com in print and on Kindle. 

You can also follow The Solid Rock Road on Facebook and Twitter. 

Wise Counsel in Christian Recovery

Many Christians, especially those coming out of the world and off of drugs and alcohol, get in trouble when they believe they are hearing God when it’s actually the voice of their sinful man coming through loud and clear. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen people in recovery end up relapsing because they were sure that God was speaking and releasing them to do this or that.

For example, it’s common for ex-addicts to want to save their friends who are in the midst of addiction. While wisdom would have them separate from those practicing the sin of addiction – at least until they are stronger and well-rooted in their faith – the devil knows how to connect with the ex-addict’s sin nature to lure them back. At first, the ex-addict is able to resist temptation, but soon they lose their resolve and return to their old ways and their drug of choice.

This reality may make you insecure about whether you are divinely inspired or not, but there is a system you can use to make sure that what you are hearing is truth and/or wisdom. First, check it against Biblical instruction. Second, get in the habit of seeking counsel from your leaders.

Even small decisions can have a major impact on your Christian life. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”  (KJV)  To prove this point, Solomon writes something very familiar in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”

The best advice we can give you is to leave nothing to chance. When you are making decisions, don’t get prideful and religious; get guidance. Most importantly, if several people you trust agree on a solution or a direction, take their advice. This may mean that you have to do something you don’t want to do, or you can’t do something you want to do. At first, you’ll dislike this accountability process, but we guarantee you will totally love the long-term results.

The Solid Rock Road is a Christian Recovery program with a book that promotes 10 Principles of recovery titled “Follow The Solid RockRoad: Pathway to Radical Recovery.” You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.