What is Christian Recovery?

There’s no doubt that the subject of addictions is an emotional one. I have yet to meet a soul who has not been touched in some way by addictions. What I have noted is that each person reacts differently to the addict, with many who simply put up a wall of indifference to protect themselves from the pain. The concern of these loved ones can often turn to criticism.

On the other hand, there are many people who have been totally devastated by the substance abuse of their loved one. In their own desperation, they have tired themselves out by working to save the addict from themselves. In the midst of it all, they can become discouraged, depressed, and ultimately, disappointed in God. 

Serving in the Christian recovery ministry since 2002 has placed me in the middle of the battlefield, right between the addicts and their loved ones. I have seen the tears, the fighting, the wounds, the blood, and the scars of the weary, the undone, and the disgusted.

I have helped the addict to get clean, and cheered people on as they start to win the battle for their own soul. I have also watched the recovered fall into relapse several times before they quit for the final time. But it's not the lack of God's power that's to blame. It's a decision to choose a substance over a savior.

No matter what I see happening with the addicted and those who love them, I understand this one thing: God is enough! 

Christian recovery is all about believing that God is who He says He is. This goes for the addict and the loved ones of the addict. They must both trust that God has the power to set captives free and to transform lives. They must know that God is for them and not against them, and that God hears their prayers and answers them in His way and His time.

Christian recovery is also about the act of surrender on the part of the addict and their loved ones. The addict must surrender to God and get rid of their idol. The loved one must surrender the addict to God and quit trying to take the place of the true savior.

When thinking about Christian recovery, I'm often reminded about the story of the Prodigal Son. While the prodigal was messing up his life by living the way a modern-day addict might live, the father did not cut him out of the family. Instead, he yearned for the return of the prodigal son, and when it happened, he kissed him on the neck and put on his colorful coat. He also gave his son the ring, which symbolized that he had retained his inheritance.

God has made a way home for all addicts!

Now, I do believe that there is a point at which the hand of God is removed from those who continuously refuse to obey the Lord, but no one knows when exactly that is. This biblical truth is such a serious matter that I often find myself warning Christians in addiction about this possibility. Many heed the warnings, but there have been times when addicts have said that they are going quit, but decide to enjoy their last hurrah, only to end up dead, doing harm to others, or in prison. 

For Christians, recovery results in total freedom from drugs and alcohol. This is what separates the Christian in addiction from everyone else. When they repent and it comes from the heart, they are forgiven by God and given the strength and power necessary to overcome and have victory. They are welcomed home and again assured of their inheritance.

To learn more about The Solid Road Christian Recovery program, visit www.thesolidrockroad.com. 

Christian Recovery: How to Stay Clean and Sober Forever

No one ever said that getting clean and sober was easy. If removing the chains of addiction was, then more people would probably do it. On the other hand, there is no doubt that some addicts love their drug of choice more than anything else and though they say they want to be get set free, they don't intend on it.

Many Christians in addiction ask God for help, but then expect Him to completely alleviate all the suffering related to getting off of drugs and/or alcohol. When such a miracle doesn’t happen, they often add God to their blame-shifting list and excuses. 

While God can and will deliver people from their addictions, He doesn’t always use that method. It’s His choice. He has the power to deliver anyone anytime, so when He doesn’t exercise this power, we must believe it’s on purpose. Sometimes God wants the addict to persevere – to want sobriety so much that he or she will do anything to get it.

God has also made it possible for Christians to resist temptation and escape from the snare of addictions that the enemy has put in our way. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is just one example that shows God understands the addiction problem and has the solution.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 

In one version of this Scripture, it states that God gives us a “way of escape.” In other words, God isn’t doing away with the temptation, He is instead offering us a way to separate ourselves from that temptation. This Scripture also indicates that we have the capacity to say “no” to our drug of choice, and if we trust God and get His guidance, He will show us how.

As a Christian addiction counselor for nearly 12 years, I believe that the way of escape is to put yourself in safe surroundings. Another way of saying this is, don’t hang around anyone who uses drugs or drinks alcohol, and don’t go anywhere where you will be tempted. You also must allow yourself to feel the yearning for the substance you crave, but to stand your ground and refuse to give in to it. Do this every day for the rest of your life and you will be set free of drugs and alcohol forever.

I know this works because I did it. When I first got clean and sober, my husband did not, and so alcohol was in my refrigerator nearly every day. Since I was married, I could not just leave the premises. Therefore, I had to white knuckle my sobriety. I fought the temptation because God said He would help me, and He did. As I resisted, He gave me the strength to continue to stand my ground and to say "no' to my own mind that was telling me it was okay to have just one drink.

It was a victory every day that I resisted and suffered through. And I have resisted for nearly two decades now. That's a whole lot of wins, and my life today reflects that!

God doesn’t mind asking us to suffer, especially in light of the fact that Jesus suffered all the way to death. He was beaten, disfigured and hung from a cross so that we would have what we needed to overcome strongholds, addictions, and anything else negative in our lives.

You can do it. You can quit doing drugs and alcohol forever with the help of our mighty God who will give you strength when you need it.

To learn more about Christian recovery and The Solid Rock Road Christian recovery ministry, visit www.thesolidrockroad.com. Our Christian recovery book is found on Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/Follow-The-Solid-Rock-Road/dp/0615337899/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376656401&sr=8-1. You can also find the program on Facebook and Twitter. If you have questions, call 541-778-8680.

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.

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.