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.

The Heart of God in Christian Recovery

We used to wonder why God wants the adoration of humans, especially since He knows our hearts. According to Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…”  But it’s His way of connecting, and God knows that His presence can soften our hearts and remove evil from them. 

The Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart. If you have ever been after someone’s heart, you know what it takes to get it. You think about that person day and night. You’re consumed with what they think and remember the words they speak. You are kind and loving to that person and want to spend time with them more than you want anything else. When you have hope that love will result, you will do whatever makes that person happy and you will make sure that you touch their heart.

 

David deliberately put God first. He kept his heart pure and devoted to God. That doesn’t mean David never made mistakes; we know he did. The Bible tells the story of David’s lust for Bathsheba, the sins that followed, and the consequences of his poor choices. 

Still, David didn’t let his past mistakes keep him from connecting with God. In fact, he was more devoted afterward and more inclined to visit the throne because he knew how much he’d grieved God. David’s temporary fall from grace helped him better understand the mercy of God. 

Psalm 51:1-6 provides insight into how David’s sin and suffering allowed him to fully experience God’s redeeming love. We used scriptures from The Message because it totally reveals David’s heart.

“Generous in love – God, give grace! Huge in mercy – wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the one I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I’ve been out of step with You for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.”

At this point, David didn’t blame anyone else for his mistakes. He wasn’t rationalizing or justifying his behavior. Instead, he acknowledged his evil and gave God the right to change him. That’s why in Acts 13:22, the Apostle Paul refers to David as a man after God’s own heart.

We all desperately need the heart of David. This requires a change of heart. Ezekiel 36:26 reveals how God works in this realm. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

(This is an excerpt from my Christian recovery book titled "Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery.") You can learn about our Christian recovery program at www.thesolidrockroad.com, and you find me on Facebook and Twitter. 

The Prodigal Son in Christian Recovery

The story of the Prodigal Son as described in Luke 15:11-32 is a perfect example of the Father’s patient and enduring love. Children in Sunday School are told this story to help them see God the Father in more human terms. As we mature in our Christianity, the story of the Prodigal Son can take on even deeper meaning.

Many of us have wandered from God and found ourselves to be prodigals, and many have had children raised in the church who drifted away and into the world. In these cases, the story represents the struggles of those who left the safety and comfort of their father’s house in search of the worldly life that offered the freedom they thought they needed.

In early as the second sentence of the Prodigal Son story, we see that the son was intent on leaving: His mind had been made up – the father knew that there was no room for discussion, so he gave his son the money. The prodigal left his father’s house without any regrets and began to live the life that the world offered.

Different versions of the Bible describe the son’s life while in the world as wild, reckless, loose, wasteful, undisciplined and riotous. From these adverbs we can make some assumptions, especially when we’re looking at the story of the Prodigal Son as it relates to Christian recovery in modern times.

The prodigal son felt free to do what he wanted. He didn’t want the constraints of his father’s house. He wanted to make his own rules and to live by his own standards. He wanted to do things his way. Today, wild, wasteful and reckless living usually includes abuse of alcohol and/or drugs. Since the prodigal son started off with lots of money and ended up broke, there’s no doubt that he wasted it on partying and sharing with those of like mind. People used him, and when the money ran out, they abandoned him.

The famine made things worse. Broke and without work, the Prodigal Son reached his bottom when he began to feed the pigs and wish he could eat their food. These dire circumstances brought the Prodigal Son back to his senses, which is what happens when addicts find themselves homeless, without friends, broke and without hope for a better tomorrow.

The Prodigal Son went home humbled. The father didn’t go after him, or try and save him from his circumstances. The father waited, just like God the Father waits for the addicted to return home. Sometimes, those who are co-dependent with addicts interrupt this valuable process. They can't stand to see the addict suffer, so they'll lend a helping hand to keep their loved one from suffering too much. By doing so, the addict never really has to truly repent.

In this story, the Prodigal Son doesn’t go back into the world. He takes his rightful place in the family. But today, Christians in addictions go in and out of the world, and in and out of God’s house. This isn’t a Biblical picture, and in most cases, the issue is that the prodigal has yet to be humbled and has yet to properly repent.

If you're in distress, we can help. The Solid Rock Road is a Christian recovery program in Oregon with a global outreach. The ministry and the book, “Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery” lead people back to Father God and to freedom from addictions forever. You can find us at www.thesolidrockroad.com, follow us on Twitter or become our friend on Facebook.

The Art of Dying to Yourself in Christian Recovery

From the beginning of time, mankind has sought to prolong life. Whether it was learning survival techniques in the caveman days, receiving heart transplants in modern times, or looking for the fountain of youth in natural therapies, the goal has always been to live longer.

In Christianity, we are to die to ourselves every day. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, the Apostle Paul writes, "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." In other words, Paul willingly destroys the works of the flesh in order for the Spirit of God within to control his soul.

This does not come naturally. Human instincts are to live. With Satan's encouragement, the sin nature continually rises up to wreak havoc in our lives. Therefore, we must commit to our own death so that we can rise up in the resurrection of life in Christ.

When we die to ourselves, the Spirit of God is revealed and engaged in the battle for your mind and soul. Your spiritual death brings honor to God and establishes your place in His Kingdom. It also keeps us humble.

Go to our Twitter site at wwww.twitter.com/solidrockroad or to www.thesolidrockroad.com to purchase Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery

The Solid Rock Road and Christian Recovery

Christian recovery is a well-known term, and one we use often in the Solid Rock Road ministry. However, anyone who repents from the sin of addiction is actually restored, refreshed and renewed. That's truly exciting for those of us who suffered serious consequences related to our addictions, and for those of us who have regrets.

Restoration allows us to acknowledge our mistakes, but frees us from the shame and guilt. Still, Satan will do everything possible to ensure that Christians in recovery feel condemned for their sin of addiction. If he is successful, then the formerly addicted person remains attached to the sin nature that led them down the addiction path. When they carry the heavy weight of guilt, they are desperate for relief. Often, they find a temporary solution in alcohol and drugs, which leads them through the cycle of relapse -- usually over and over.

While some people are delivered from addiction (meaning instantly over it), others like me have had to endure certain levels of suffering to overcome the propensity to abuse drugs and/or alcohol. Either way, the result is the same. We are set free.

We have to remember that Jesus gave his life for our freedom. This is not a Christian cliche: it is the foundation of our faith.

Repentance is the first step to counteracting the guilt and shame of addiction. If you need help, email me at TheSolidRockRoad@gmail.com. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. By the way, look for a book I've co-written called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery.

Four Steps to Spiritual Freedom

Freedom is a much-used term in the Christian community. People talk about it, know about and teach about. But not everyone experiences complete freedom in Christ. Since the discussion of bondage is often focused on addictions, Christians in general can overlook the strongholds in their own lives. For example, fear, anger, insecurity, lying, pride and greed are many of the ways Satan takes God's people hostage.

When Christians are bound by the work of the devil, it is absolutely necessary to be set free, no matter the issue and no matter how much of a stronghold there is. Without complete freedom, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is minimized. In some cases, the sufferings of Christ have become meaningless to people -- especially those who claim that they can't stop sinning. We know that God says He gives everyone a way of escape.

It's time to be set free and to give honor to the Lord. The following are four steps to spiritual freedom.

1. You must to want freedom more than you want anything else.
2. You must go after freedom with all your heart -- give it everything you've got.
3. You must receive freedom, trusting that Jesus died and completed the process. He said, "It is finished," which means the work has been done.
4. You must maintain your freedom, being aware of the devil's plan to recapture you.

Christians in victory know they have been set free, and they walk out their freedom knowing that the power of God has transformed their lives.

Check out my twitter account at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad.

Addiction is Like Adultery

Addiction is like adultery. That's a bold statement to make, and yet I believe I have seen and heard enough to warrant such a thesis. As a counselor in a Christian recovery ministry, I'm still shocked by the selfish, untamed desire addicts have for their drug of choice.

Like an adulterer, an addict can't stop thinking about the substance they love and adore. They can't get enough, and the more they get, the more they want. Like an adulterer, an addict will lie incessantly to their wives and families in order to spend time with their lover -- the drug.

The lover has the addict's whole heart so that all thoughts and actions are focused away from all other things in their life. A fantasy world also begins. The vision and the yearning for the lover is on their mind at all times and even takes precedence over the needs of the children, their boss, their friends and all others.

The addict is so obsessed, he or she spends outrageous amounts of money on the lover and outrageous amounts of time figuring out how to be with the lover, please the lover, and have the lover please them.

This analogy could go on, but the point is, addiction is like adultery in that it destroys lives and is a major cause of separation and divorce.

Visit our website at www.thesolidrockroad.com or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad.

Your Mind as the Battlefield

There is a constant struggle going on inside your mind. It’s a war between your old and new self. For people with a history of relapse, the old self often wins. Since the old self is not redeemed, it is still of the world and controlled by Satan. If Satan controls your mind, he becomes the filter by which all information is received. Even the Word of God gets interpreted incorrectly.

Since our minds lead our actions, the devil knows that if we think bad thoughts, we’ll act badly. Joyce Meyer wrote a book called Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind. In the first chapter, she explains that Satan is strategic and creates deliberates plans to defeat us.

Meyer brings this point home early in her book when she writes, “He (Satan) knows our insecurities, our weaknesses and our fears. He knows what bothers us most. He is willing to invest any amount of time it takes to defeat us. One of the devil’s strong points is patience.”

To learn more about how the mind works when it comes to Christians in addiction, visit www.thesolidrockroad.com. You can also follow us on Twitter.

God's Plan for Christian Recovery

It’s true that God performs miracles. I've witnessed many and have experienced more than I deserve. But if God isn’t giving you the miracle you've been pleading for, He has a different plan for you. God isn't worried about what you think about His plan, He does it knowing what's best for you and with a specific lesson in mind.

God does not want to be your situational rescuer, nor will he put a bandage on your gaping wound. God wants to change your life, to change your mind and to change your heart. Mostly God wants you to put Him first and to make Jesus the Lord of your life so that you can be complete in Him.

When you fully surrender, you’ll find the strength and courage you need to quit addictive and sinful behaviors. You won’t have to go into a treatment center or offer a lifelong commitment to a recovery organization. You won’t have to claim that you are an addict until the day you die. As the Bible says, you are changed; you are a new person in Christ.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. And look for a book I've co-written called "Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery." It is coming out in Feb/March 2010.

Christian Recovery and the Value of Getting Wise Counsel.

Christians can get off the path when they believe they have heard from God when it's actually their inner voice being directed by their sin nature. While this may make you insecure about whether you are divinely inspired or not, but there is a system you God set up to ensure what you are hearing is truth.

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. Your leaders have been given the grace for you and are responsible for your soul according to Hebrews 13:17. Therefore, they have wisdom and good counsel to offer you.

Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." To prove this point, Solomon writes something very similar in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”

The best advice is to leave nothing to chance. When making decisions, don’t get prideful and religious; get guidance. Most importantly, if several wise people agree on an answer, 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 hate this accountability process, but I guarantee you’ll love the long-term results.

You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. And look for a book I've co-written called Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery. It's coming out in February 2010 (or early March.)

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 Devil and Your Addiction

Satan walked the earth before Adam and Eve were created, so he knows the planet’s entire history. Satan and the evil spirits that have been assigned to you from the day you were born know your history too, including every major trauma and disappointment you’ve had.

The devil and the demons are good at reminding you about how hurt you have been, how you have hurt others, all the wrong choices you've made and every other negative thing about your life. It's important to note that evil spirits never speak about the good in your life. Their job is to accentuate the negative, and of course, put doubt in your mind and follow that up with out-and-out lies.

Genesis 3:1-6 says that the snake (the devil) is cunning. When he came to tempt Eve, he first put doubt in her mind (did God really say?), and then he told the lie (you can be like God). Eve was then deceived through lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.

This is what happens with the devil and your addiction. He starts with having you doubt you faith, then tells you a lie such as "It's okay," "This will be your last time," "You can get away with it," "You can't resist the temptation," or "You can't help it." He'll tell you whatever lie he knows you'll believe. Then once you believe, you're deceived and the cycle of addiction continues.

You can get free from addictions if you break the cycle.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. Look for a new book I've co-written called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery. It will be out soon.

Who is Sitting on the Throne: You or God?

Whenever you depend on your own strength, God can’t give you His. When you admit you’re weak compared to God, He happily intervenes and everything falls into its proper place.

So why do we struggle with letting God be God? If it’s been proven that our lives work better when God is in control, why do we persist in doing things our own way? Why do count on our flawed minds when we have access to the mind of Christ? Why do we forget that God has the power and love we need to live a great life and be free from addictions?

We could all write out long lists filled with reasons we go in and out of our faith and submit to God intermittently. But the main problem is that many Christians are comfortable on the throne and refuse to get off.

God belongs on the throne. If you step down and put God in His rightful place, your life will be blessed.

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.

Freedom from Addictions Through Praise and Worship

Praise and worship is a lifestyle, not a warm-up session for a Sunday morning sermon.

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.

Your problems don’t stop you from getting into God’s presence. Obsessing about them, and trying to solve them on your own, are what hold you back and make you miserable.

The challenge for today is this: Set aside a half hour. Play 2 or 3 Christian worship songs, then pray for 20 minutes. This is not a prayer in which you ask God for what you want. Instead, it is a prayer of gratitude for who He is and what He's done.

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

Obedience in Christian Recovery

When Jesus went to the cross, He modeled obedience and surrender. The night before He was to be arrested, Jesus sweat blood in the garden of Gethsemane because He had a negative human reaction to the concept of suffering. He knew what must be done, but He didn’t want to take on the sins of the world, or to be temporarily separated from God.

Ultimately, Jesus obeyed out of pure selflessness and submission to God.
Romans 5:19 states: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

This scripture proves two things. First, we are born with Adam’s sin nature. More importantly, through Jesus’ obedience we are offered a new way of life that empowers us to overcome our sin nature and be right with God. It also requires obedience.

Obedience in Christian recovery isn't an option. It's absolutely necessary to remain free from addictions forever.

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

The Sin of Addiction

You can trace your propensity for sin back to Adam and Eve who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Since they were the first people on earth, we are their descendants and inherited their sin nature. That all changed when we were redeemed and reborn into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

From that point on, Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit so we have a new nature that counteracts our natural tendencies -- if and when we let it.

No doubt the battle between good and evil rages on. Though we tend to see this battle outside of ourselves, it also takes place on the inside, including our minds, hearts, and souls.

Our original Adam nature lurks about and we often acknowledge and return to it. This is called backsliding. For addicts it's referred to as relapse. Therefore, to prevent relapse, you have to acknowledge the sin of addiction and repent.

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.

Gratitude in Christian Recovery

When you're in the midst of a battle, it's hard to see the good in your life. Still, your freedom depends on your connection with God and His Son Jesus Christ. In other words, no matter what your circumstances are, you are still a Christian.

Last night, my son said something that really touched my heart. He's been going through a major trial, and has admitted that he's been feeling disconnected from the heart of God. Finally, when it appeared that he was at the end of himself, he realized something. I would call it a revelation. He said, "I'm just grateful to be saved. That's enough for now."

It was a simple statement, but carried a powerful message. When it seems like we can't win the battle, or our life isn't going as planned, we can rely on salvation to give us hope and fill the empty places.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad

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.

Is it the Devil or is it You?

In our Christian recovery ministry, people talk a lot about how the devil is destroying their lives. And though we see the damage Satan does, we also see that Christians are often their own worst enemy.

The devil can tempt you -- and he will -- but ultimately, you make the choice to continue your sin of addiction. The Bible says that you are given the ability through Christ to resist all temptation. Therefore, your recovery depends on you making the right choice.

This sounds way too easy. In a way, it is. You complicate the matter by justifying behaviors, blaming others for your weakness, and living in the past.

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." It will be out in January 2010.