Christian Recovery: The Problem with Justification

In our Christian recovery ministry, we have seen and heard a lot. Nothing surprises us, but there’s a lot that makes us cringe, especially when we’re sure that no good can come from the words we hear. Recently, a former addict decided that having wine with dinner was perfectly acceptable and condoned by Jesus. We tried to correct her carefully crafted reasoning, but she rejected our warnings with two typical points of justification:

1. Jesus drank wine so I can too.
2. Alcohol is not my problem.

Well, we’ve heard these two points before – more times than we care to count! Why is it that addicted personalities like to use Jesus as the example of drinking wine, but leave out all the Biblical warnings about its link to the demonic and the dangers of drunkenness? In my blog titled “What Does the Bible Say about Being Sober?” I list many of the Scriptures that refer to this issue. Here are some of the points that these Scriptures make.

• Bad things happen when you drink.
• You shouldn’t hang out with people who party.
• Your drinking can cause someone else to stumble. In other words, you can trigger them.
• Alcohol makes you a slave to it.
• Don’t act like the world acts.

It’s true that having a glass of wine is not a sin, that is, if you’re not someone who struggles with addiction. If you are one of those people, then even a single glass of wine is foolish, no matter how it’s cleverly justified.
Like every one of Satan’s tricks, justification works out great in the beginning, but the snare is fully set in no time at all. Consider the passage of Scripture in Proverbs 23:29-35.

“Who has Woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has redness of eyes?
Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of mixed wine.
Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it swirls around smoothly;
At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.
Yes, you will be like one who lies down
in the midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying
“They have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”

When justification rears its ugly head, The Solid Rock Road team does its part to tell people that what we see isn’t pretty, but then we often find ourselves stepping back, letting go and allowing the consequences to unfold.

If you or your loved is a Christian in addiction or struggles to get set free, visit our website at www.thesolidrockroad.com . You can also find our book “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery” on Amazon (in print and on KINDLE). Click here! You can also call us at 541-301-3717.

The Value of Faith in Christian Recovery

No one can force truth down your throat, nor is God going to place a spiritual feeding tube in you. You have to want it and you have to get it yourself. The same is true for faith. You can hear about it, see that others have it, wish you had it and wonder why you don’t have enough of it, or you can go after faith with all your heart.

There’s plenty of spiritual food to go around. At church, your pastor is at the pulpit preaching his guts out. Your Bible is full of the inspired Word of God. If you have doubt, then you would be wise to become obsessed with scriptures about faith, the heroes of faith, and hang around people who consistently demonstrate faith.

Whether you lack faith, don’t fully understand Christian principles, or are just being stubborn, your only hope in overcoming your addictions and living a blessed life is to completely surrender to God.

You can resist all you want or complain about how your situation is harder or worse than everyone else’s, but God can’t be manipulated by your tears, fears, or false promises. And if you believe that your addiction is stronger than His power to set you free, then your message to the world is that Christ’s suffering on the cross was meaningless to you.

The Value of Meditating on the Word of God in Recovery

What you think about, or what you obsess about, becomes your meditation. If you think about your drug of choice all day long, that's what you meditate on, and it's no wonder you can't stay sober. You have to retrain your brain to think godly thoughts. The Bible says you can do all things through Christ Jesus, so this isn't an impossible task.

Make up your mind to read the Bible, think about what it says, and pray to God. You may be doing one or two of these things, but you really need all three actions to stay fully connected to 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.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. And look for the book that's about to be published called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery.

The Heart of God and the Mind of Christ in Christian Recovery

Whether you lack faith, don’t fully understand Christian principles, or are just being stubborn, your only hope in overcoming your addictions and living a blessed life is to completely surrender to God. You have to believe that the power of God and the blood of Jesus is enough to set you free forever.

God can’t be manipulated by your tears, fears, or false promises. And if you believe that your addiction is stronger than His love for you and His power to deliver you from drugs and alcohol, then your message to the world is that Christ’s suffering on the cross was meaningless to you.

At this point in your addiction, what you really need is supernatural heart surgery and a divine brain transplant. You need the mind of Christ and the heart of God – the purest form of recovery. You need to love others the way God loves you and you need to think like Jesus was sent to earth to be a servant.

You can read more about getting free from addictions forever in a book I've co-written called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery that's coming out in January 2010. Also, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad.

Christian Reocvery and the Power of God

In 12-step programs, you're told that your struggle is one day at a time. In Christian circles, the Bible tells you to pick up your cross daily. The Bible says you are a new creation "Behold, all things have become new." The Bible encourages believers to suffer with Christ, which means we have to pick up our cross every day and deal with our issues properly. As Christians, we're expected to suffer ALL THE WAY to the cross, not halfway, not most of the way -- all the way!

Christians in recovery must agree with the Bible, not a secular program where you depend on your self-will to make it one day at a time. In 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul says this: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." WOW! That's awesome.

Acknowledge you're weak and allow the strength of God to do what you haven't been able to do. With the grace of God, you'll experience a lifetime of freedom from addictions.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. Also, look for a book I've co-written called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery.

Surrender and Realize Your Need for God

If you're a Christian in recovery, the most important thing you can do is surrender to God. You may think you've already done that just by getting saved, but if you continue to struggle with drugs and alcohol, then you really haven't.

When you surrender, you trade your will for God's will. This isn't a nonchalant act. In fact, if it doesn't hurt and it isn't hard, then it most likely won't last. Surrender means you give up, you let go, you say "yes" to every command in the Bible.

When you surrender and realize your need for God, you get the strength of God to fight and win the battle for your own soul. You renounce the works of the flesh and willingly kill your sill nature. In the process, Christ in you rises up and the grace of God empowers you to resist temptation.

Simply put, surrender gives you all the power you need to live a clean and sober life forever.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. Also, look for the new book I've co-written called "Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery. It's coming out in January 2010.

Christian Recovery: Your Temptation and Your Testimony

You can't have a testimony if you haven't had a test that you have passed. The reality of relapse is that you continually have to retake the test of temptation. Therefore, if you're sick of taking the same test over and over, then you have to study and commit to passing that test once and for all.

Can you imagine taking the same spelling test for years and years? Wouldn't you be determined to pass it so you can move forward and get smarter? And wouldn't your teacher make sure you learned the words you've already been given before she gives you another set of words to spell? If your school teachers won't let you fake your way through, why would God?

The simplest way to understand your chronic relapse is to see that God wants you to resist temptation based on HIS strength and the grace he's given. God expects you to change your pattern so that you can get out of the cycle of addictions. If He hasn't delivered you out, then you're test is to resist, resist, resist.

In the Solid Rock Road ministry, we teach you how to resist. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad, and look for our book "Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery

Christians in Recovery Must MakeJesus their Lord

Christians who battle with addictions are often asked to look for the root of the problem. Some will say that life has taken its toll, while others blame Adam and Eve or point their fingers at evil spirits. However, if the blood of Jesus has saved you and the Bible is there to instruct you, you have to look deeper to find the real root.

For most Christians in recovery, the root is self-will. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if Jesus is your Lord, as well as your Savior. If he's your Lord, you'll serve and obey Him. If not, you'll live as if you are the ruler of your own world.

The word 'obey' is a tricky one. It means doing something you don't want to do. In order to serve, you have to quit being selfish. Now do you see the problem?

Follow The Solid Rock Road ministry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad.

Christian Recovery and the New Creation Reality

The secular recovery community believes that once an addict, always an addict. But this is not true for Christians who understand they are transformed into the likeness of Christ. Many scriptures support this concept, but especially 2 Corinthians 5:17 which states, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Christians who struggle with addictions must accept this new creation reality for themselves. With a recovery ministry called the Solid Rock Road, we teach participants 10 Bible-based principles that give them the information and spiritual weapons they need to fight and win the battle for their souls once and for all.