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.