Christian Recovery: Check Your Heart

Have you ever wondered 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, and better understood 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. (This scripture is 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.

You desperately need the heart of David. And you need to get to your truth from the inside out. Go ahead and read the entire book of Psalms out loud, day after day. No matter what other scriptures you read, add Psalms to your devotions.

Before you recite David’s words, pray God will exchange your hard heart for a God-loving, faithful heart like David’s. Ezekiel 36:26 makes you such a promise. “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.”

 

You can follow The Solid Rock Road on Facebook and twitter. You can also learn all about this Christian recovery program at www.thesolidrockroad.com.

The Christian Recovery Path of Sobriety

To stay sober, you must discover the path God has created, go down it and stay on it. There's safety on the path of righteousness, plus a lot of learning, growing and getting set apart from the world.

The Solid Rock Road ministry describes this path and warns of taking the so-called Yellow Brick Road to recovery where the end is filled with smoke and mirrors. The path of God directs you straight to the cross of Jesus Christ.

Along the path, the devil will tempt you into taking detours. These off-ramps appear to be safe and seem like a faster way to get where you're going. But, they send you in circles, which results in you entering another one of your cycles.

Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad. And look for our book: Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery coming out in January 2010.

Christian Recovery Requires Forgiveness

There's no doubt that as a Christian you understand that addiction is unacceptable. However, you often find yourself in a continual state of relapse. You get sober, your life gets better, you feel better, then you start to focus on the negative aspects of life, and you give in to temptation and relapse.

While there are many reasons for relapse, a major one is that you may have missed the important step of forgiving yourself and others. Forgiveness isn't an option. According to the Bible, we are all commanded to forgive. More importantly, if you want to be forgiven, you have to extend forgiveness.

Forgiveness starts with yourself. Many Christians in recovery feel shame and guilt. These emotions are not of God and will bring condemnation. Take yourself to the cross of Jesus Christ and allow yourself to feel the pain of your life. See the truth and admit what you've done so you can have true remorse and you can repent. Repentance is important because it causes you to do a complete moral u-turn.

Our book is coming out in January and includes a chapter on Forgiveness. The book is called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery. For now, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad.

Freedom from Addictions God's Way

I have not always been a good girl. In fact, I've been very bad. But knowing this about myself doesn't make me feel condemned, it makes me grateful to be who I am today.

Gratitude is the reason I co-wrote the book "Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery." It's a way to show my appreciation to God for giving me back the life He originally intended. I don't live in the past, but I acknowledge it so I won't forget the pain, the confusion and the hopelessness I felt in my addiction.

I love being clean and sober. And I love that the Bible provided the truth that set me free, and answers every question I ask about life.

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

God's Grace is Sufficient for Christians in Recovery

Many Christians who battle with addictions believe that grace means that God is quick to forgive. While God forgives when we repent, it's vital to understand the true work of grace in our lives.

There is a saving grace and an empowering grace that follows. It's the grace of God that enables Christians to get set free. Grace is the way of escape. Think of the acronym that many people use for the word grace: God's Riches at Christ's Expense.

If we have God's riches, then what could we possibly be missing? If God delivers, then we have deliverance. If he heals broken hearts, we're healed. The only thing that's missing is a complete understanding of what Christ accomplished at the cross.

Christian recovery really depends on Christians living in grace as defined in the Bible.

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

Radical Recovery Requires Radical Change

A book I've co-written called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery describes the battle of addictions and provides 10 Bible-based principles to fight and win. The book is due out in December, but for now, it's important to understand that Christian recovery is different from worldly recovery methods and techniques.

We have the amazing grace of God that not only saves, but enables Christians to resist all temptation. We have the blood of Jesus that cleanses, and the Holy Spirit as our counselor and guide. We have God who is all knowing, all powering and everywhere present. What more do we need? Nothing.

We don't need years of therapy, nor do Christians in recovery need to claim they are addicts for the rest of their life. Instead, they can claim they are new creations and free from addictions, starting right now.

Radical recovery happens when Christians take hold of all that God offers and puts His principles into practice. Radical recovery is simply acknowledging that God is enough. It's turning your life into an overcomer's legacy and allowing God to change our hearts and our minds.

I urge every Christian who struggles with addictions to enter into the radical Christian lifestyle.

Visit me on Twitter at wwww.twitter.com/solidrockroad

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.

Keys to Christian Recovery

Satan infiltrates. God waits.

Many Christians in addiction are waiting for God to do something miraculous when God is waiting for a relationship. When God doesn't posses them or prevent them from abusing drugs and alcohol, they start to believe that Satan has more power. They complain that God doesn't care and that the temptation is too great. They can't resist because God hasn't rescued them.

Satan infiltrates the minds of addicts. He has access because of the sin of addiction. So it makes sense that Christians who battle with addictions will think like the devil. But even in the midst of addiction, God has created ways to escape.

Christians have access to the Holy Spirit, which is Christ living in us. Those in addiction must agree to kill their sin nature and access the Holy Spirit to receive the mind of Christ. God wants relationship, then submission and obedience. He wants it His way, and He'll wait until you're ready to do it.