Signs of Recovery from Addictions

The opposite of learning is blaming. I have said it many times before, but I don’t think I can say it too much. It’s true in a general sense, but when it comes to addictions, the issue of blame shifting is even more exaggerated. Ask an addict why they started and continue using drugs and/or alcohol, and their answer usually has to do with what someone did or said to them, or a circumstance they found themselves in, followed by excuse and excuse.

In The Solid Rock Road Christian recovery ministry, we have learned to identify patterns of behavior. The most obvious sign that a person is not ready to quit their drug of choice is that they blame shift incessantly and refuse to look at themselves in an honest way. Another bad sign is justification. They may admit they’re doing wrong, but then offer a long list of reasons why they continue doing it.

So what are the positive signs of recovery from addictions? The first is accountability – making yourself accountable to another person. The second is an act of true repentance. Since repentance is the process of making a complete u-turn, you will change your direction immediately. And the third sign is the willingness to look in the mirror, admit your mistakes and open yourself up to learning.

If you’re in the midst of your addiction, or you’re dealing with someone who is struggling, here are the top 3 questions to ask yourself or them.

1. Will you own your own stuff? Will you take full responsibility for your current condition? Without looking at anyone else’s behavior, how did you end up where you are?'
2. What is one thing will you do to change your current situation.  Words alone won’t do. What ACTION will you take today, and will you follow it up with more action?
3. Will you tell the truth? Not some of it, but all of it. Will you tell someone how much you’re using, how you’re paying for it, how you lie and manipulate those you love, and any other acts of darkness that need to be in the light?

We understand that recovery from addiction can be difficult, so we suggest you begin reading the book of John in your Bible, and pray longer and with more conviction than ever before. Don’t just pray for yourself. Pray for those you have hurt, and pray for those who have hurt you. 

If you need additional support, you can call The Solid Rock Road at 541-778-8680. We also have a book titled “Follow The Solid Rock Road:Pathway to Radical Recovery, and resources on our Solid Rock Road website.

Overcoming Evil: Christian Recovery

We are born with a sin nature, but having been born again, we have been gifted with the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Spirit of God as the power by which He cast out demons. And we know that Jesus dealt with evil because of the 40 days he spent in the desert being tested by Satan. And of course, the devil and his demons were at work during the entire three-year ministry of Jesus. Their efforts failed, so we can use Jesus as our example of how to overcome evil.  

If Jesus had to deal with evil, it makes sense that we do too. The difference is that we often let our sinful nature control our lives while Jesus prayed to His Father in Heaven and was led by the Holy Spirit.

But you can be more like Jesus if you continually eliminate your sinful nature from your thoughts, actions and decision making. To do that, you must refuse to allow your emotions and incorrect thoughts to dictate your behavior. If what you feel isn’t in line with the Word of God, you have to forego your emotions and instead, do what’s right.

The following are 3 ways that you can overcome evil and act more like Jesus:

1.     Read your Bible:  The words written in the Bible are necessary for your transformation. You must understand the promises, purposes and plans of God so that you can discover your destiny.

2.     Hang around strong Christians:  Many times our familiar circle of friends have the same old thought processes that God wants us to change. Therefore, it is wise to connect with faith-filled Christians who can help you think more like Jesus. Later, you can reconnect with your old friends so you can share what you have learned.

3.     Go to church:  Many people falsely believe they don’t need to go to church to be a Christian, but the Bible says differently. And if we look at Jesus as the model, he held church services constantly. The Gospels are filled with red letters, which are the words of Jesus as he preached and taught his followers. Surely, you can devote one or two hours of your day to listen to a sermon and connect with other Christians.

Of course, there are many other important aspects of your Christianity that should not be overlooked when trying to overcome evil. My book “Follow The Solid Rock Road:Pathway to Recovery” provides great insight into the promises, purposes and plans of God. Plus it shows you how to continually win the spiritual battle for your soul.

Christian Recovery and the Word of God

While God is love, the Bible describes the Word of God as a sword, a hammer, and a fire. It cuts, it clobbers, and burns. That’s not exactly gentle, but that’s often what it takes to destroy the lies and tricks of the devil.

We take the Bible very personally, believing that every word was written for us. When we pray, we don’t doubt that God is listening intently, ready to respond with an exhortation, a sign, scripture, symbol, word of truth, or some form of imagery. And some of our favorite moments are when we’re contemplating something we’ve seen or heard from God or about God, getting insight into our lives, and getting inspiration for others.

You know you should read the Bible, think about what it says, and pray to God. But what you may not understand is that all three of these actions must be performed to stay fully connected with God, who is your source of life and energy.

This connection allows truth to penetrate your soul and your spirit to rise above your sin nature. When you disconnect from God, you are in human default mode. This means that you are being directed by your inner voice, which has gotten you into trouble your whole life.

Your inner voice wants to protect your sin nature and 
will war against the truth of God. 

We don’t have to remind you what your sin nature looks like. But what about that inner voice of yours that keeps reciting old news, has a tendency to obsess over negative events in your life, and loves to send you places well off God’s beaten path? What does it tell you and how does that voice affect your relationship with God, yourself, and others?

We have to fight against the voice of Satan who wants to minimize our ministry. It says a lot of things that are hurtful and make us doubt, fear, and become frustrated. But we have learned to silence those voices and listen intently to the voice of God. You can do the same, though it does take some practice.

(Excerpt from our Christian recovery book titled “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery on Amazon.com.)

You can learn more at www.thesolidrockroad.com

Christian Recovery: Real Resolutions

It’s a New Year, and time again for your New Year’s resolution. Yes, the one you have made every year for the past too many years. You’re going to quit drinking and/or doing drugs. Or, you’re going to slow way down, or just plan to party on weekends or special occasions. Well, like every year, you’ll do okay for a short while, and then return to your out-of-control habits. And like clockwork, things will get worse and your addiction will get stronger.

The problem with your resolution is that you’re speaking about change, but not making the necessary changes. In order to get clean and sober, everything has to change.  This starts by first understanding what the word ‘resolution’ means. One online definition describes the word ‘resolution’ this way: “a firm decision to do or not to do something.”

A firm decision is different from a flimsy one. A firm decision is one that is set in stone. You can’t move it. You can’t change it. It’s set!  A flimsy decision is weak. It is when you decide to ‘try’ to do something while allowing yourself the freedom to fail at it. Therefore, your flimsy New Year’s resolution gives you an excuse to continue abusing alcohol and/or drugs. You can tell yourself and others how hard you tried, but to no avail.

So, this year, I have three suggestions for making a New Year’s Resolution:

·         Stop making flimsy New Year’s resolutions. They are ridiculous. If you don’t plan to actually quit your addiction, then don’t say you will.

·         Make a real resolution to get set free from drugs and alcohol. In other words, decide that no matter what, you will quit, once and for all.

·         Don’t expect God to make it easy. God can deliver you from your addiction if He chooses. But often times, he expects us to stand on his promise… to follow through with our promises… to white knuckle our freedom if that’s what’s necessary.

Years ago, when I decided to quit drinking, I suffered from withdrawals for three weeks. And I was tempted to relapse every day because my husband was still drinking, Of course, he made sure alcohol was in the house at all times. But I had RESOLVED the issue in my mind. I had declared myself free, and I resisted the temptation. No, it wasn’t easy, but I knew that with God I could do it. And with GOD, I did it! And you can too.

I wrote “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to RadicalRecovery” to give you the truth and inspiration you need to declare yourself free from addictions. There’s never a good time or a better time to quit, so just make up your mind right now and DO IT!

Christian Recovery -- The Truth about Denial

If you have continued abusing drugs and alcohol over long periods of time, you have either thought about quitting, tried to quit, or quit but then quickly started back up. The reason is clear. Drugs and alcohol have a hold on you. And even though your addiction gets in the way of your success and relationships, you have grown accustomed to living with the consequences. You have settled in to your desperate lifestyle and don’t believe that you can live life without getting high. Actually, you don’t want to live without having an altered state of mind. You love getting high more than you love anything else. Your substance of choice has become your idol. It’s what you think about, what you obsess about and what you won’t let go of.

That’s why you justify your addictive behaviors and try to convince yourself and everyone else that your problem isn’t as bad as people say. But let me say this: If people are talking about your problem, there’s a problem. And if people are worried about you and praying for you, there’s a problem. Your denial can’t change that reality, although your denial is what you use to give yourself permission to be self-centered and hard hearted toward others.

Denial is your refusal to accept the truth. That’s my simple definition. But the Urban Dictionary expands on this. Here’s what it says about denial. “While people in denial generally still have the seed of truth still buried within their heads, they generally cannot believe that it is the truth even when confronted with it. This is due to the mind in effect rewriting or superimposing a more acceptable reality over the original memory.”

Denial is your way to cope with things that you can’t or won’t face. It's not acceptable to be an addict or a raging alcoholic, so you make up your own story. The reality is still within you, but you choose not to deal with it. Instead, you have created your own version of the truth and try to convince the world to see things your way. You minimize your addiction and shift blame all over the place, often making yourself a victim. The more distorted your reality becomes, the higher the level of your denial rises.

As denial rises, so do your addictive behaviors. And, as your addiction spins out of control, the deeper you must go into denial. It’s a never-ending cycle that takes you to your bottom.

So denial protects you from the  hard truth. But knowing the truth is what sets you free, according to John 8:32.  Yes, I know you’ve heard it all before. You know all the verses about freedom and transformation. You say God’s word can’t help you now, but what you don’t understand is that your denial keeps you far from the only One who can rescue you.

If you are ready to get your life and relationships back, repent of your denial, ask God to help and begin a conversation with your loved ones. Right now, I want you to find that seed of truth that your denial keeps hidden. Look for it and you will find it.

I wrote “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery” to help you remember your truth, and to help you out of denial and into the process of freedom from addictions. I suggest you read it, personalize it and then live it out.  Meanwhile, you can visit our website for more information about our Christian recovery program and ministry.  www.thesolidrockroad.com.

 

How to Stay Sober during Holidays

Christian Recovery

Staying sober during the holidays is not only possible, it’s easier than the devil wants you to believe. In fact, Satan is a master at helping Christians think he is stronger and more powerful than the blood of Jesus. But nothing is stronger than that! ALL the power is in the blood!

Yes, it’s a struggle. There’s no denying that there is a spiritual battle going on and we have to fight. Yes, there are temptations that force us to resist some things we crave. But no, you are not powerless. You are not too weak. You are not a victim of your addiction. 

With God, you have the victory, as described in 1 John 4:4 – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

There are numerous other Scriptures that talk about our ability as Christians to resist temptation, to maintain our sobriety, to win the fight, to be courageous, to counteract the enemy and to have victory over our addictions and other issues of life. And while the spiritual battle is best fought using the Word of God and applying Christian principles. It’s also important to take some practical steps to stay sober during the holidays. 

The following are the Top 5 strategies for Staying Sober during the Christmas season:

1.       Do not put yourself in tempting situations. For example, if alcohol is your issue, do not attend parties where you know there will be excessive drinking. It’s okay to tell your friends and family that you are not able to attend because you are fighting the battle of addiction. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to tell your truth.

2.       Create new traditions that replace the spirit of addictions with the spirit of the Christmas season. For example, invite sober friends over for Hot Apple Cider or Hot Chocolate, or establish a weekly holiday game night. You CAN have fun without drugs or alcohol!

3.       Serve your city. Find out what charities in your area are doing for the homeless and poor during the holidays, then partner with them. You can help feed the hungry, work at food pantries or find other ways to help. The goal is to keep your mind off of yourself and to focus your energy on others.

4.       Read the Bible every day throughout the month of December, and ask God to speak to you through His Word.

5.       Keep a record of your new holiday experience. Write down all the positive things that happen in the season of Christmas.

No one ever said that staying clean and sober was easy. But God has made it clear that HE has given Christians the power to get set free once and for all.  And more than that, to live a better way and to enjoy the new life that was given to us when Jesus died and bled for our sobriety.

If you need more reading material for Christian recovery, you can find my book “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathwayto Radical Recovery “ on Amazon. You can also visit our website or follow The Solid Rock Road on Facebook.

Overcoming Issues of Life

Christian Recovery

 

It’s Biblical to cry out to go God for help in times of need. In the book of Psalms, David wasn’t afraid to yell "Help"' or to reveal his true emotions. But David didn’t continue in his distress. Instead, he thanked God in advance for coming to his rescue and began to praise through his problems. David’s prayers and conversations with God were full of praise because his love and trust for God overpowered his fears.

If you want to be an overcomer like David, you will need to enter a deeper dimension of prayer, praise, and worship. Only then can you make the great exchange from fear to faith. Like David, you can enjoy a sense of impending blessing in the midst of a trial or disaster. You just have to remember that God’s intended end for you is always good, even when things look bad. And, you will have life-changing prophetic revelation in times of need, rather than fear the future as it appears to be unfolding.

As a Christian, God’s truth replaces our logic. We come to understand that two plus two doesn’t always equal four. With God things don’t have to always add up, they can multiply. If God wants, He can subtract or square things off. If God is God, He can stretch your income beyond mathematical laws. God can choose to give you back more than you allowed the devil to take, and He can give you blessings well beyond your highest expectations.

When you learn to praise and worship in your times of need or in the midst of a crisis, you will discover that it really is possible to have peace when there’s trouble brewing and negativity surrounding you. It’s possible to be content even though you don’t have what you want, or even what you think you need. Simply put, your peace and happiness don’t depend on what you get, but who you get to spend time with.

If you’re struggling with a stronghold or addiction, you can get set free because God’s power is available. For more help, visit www.thesolidrockroad.com or call 541-778-8680.