Christian Recovery -- Moving Past our Fears

Fear has so much power in so many of our lives. For some, fear takes over. It becomes so big in our minds that many of us work harder to avoid getting past the fear than we do getting to the other side of it.

No matter what, we must remember that fear is our enemy! We must get rid of fear if we are to move forward in our Christian walk. Fear likes to stop us from doing what God has asked us to do. Fear makes us retreat when we should move forward. Fear has us standing still when we should be running into the arms of God. And fear will have us experience anxiety instead of joy. 

For those who struggle with addictions, fear will keep you connected to the life that you say you hate. You fear being straight, which means that you fear reality and responsibility.You fear losing what you love, which is your alcohol or drug of choice. And you fear the pain of withdrawals. In other words, you fear having to suffer.

We all must suffer and we must allow ourselves to feel some pain as Christians. This is what Jesus asks of us, and it is what He modeled as he suffered on the cross. Here’s what Jerry Pineda, the director of our recovery ministry wrote on the last page of our book “Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery:” 

“My personal message to those of you who want freedom is this: Don’t be afraid to suffer. Be more afraid not to. You’re not alone or without a purpose when you’re suffering for Christ. Most importantly, make sure to suffer all the way to the cross as Jesus did for you. It’s time to finish what you started. Your new life begins when you die to yourself and are resurrected into the life and love of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Many people use the acronym for FEAR as False Evidence Appearing Real. What this really means is that most of our fears never happen. This is the trick of Satan who sets us up with fear so that we are anxious and worried, and filled with negative thoughts. The thing that we fear doesn't even need to happen for our lives to be a big bummer.

God has a remedy for fear, and that is to get into HIS thoughts. We need the mind of Christ in all situations, which we can get when we access the Holy Spirit that lives in us. The mind of Christ will give us peace no matter what is in front of us. And it will remind us that our fears are really all about our concern for our own lives. Christ suffered on the cross willingly because He was thinking about you and me.

To learn more about Christian recovery using the 10 Principles of The Solid Rock Road, click here: You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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.