40 DAYS IN THE
WILDERNESS
DEVOTIONALS
AND
ADDICTION RECOVERY
BIBLE STUDY PROGRAM
Copyright © 2016
Don Johnson and
Addiction Crucifixion Fellowship
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 10- 1532922647
ISBN: 13- 9781532922640
FORWARD
This
is the first mention of drunkenness in the Bible! It is always used in the
context of sin and in conjunction with the dysfunctional behavior it causes
people and the consequences of such sinful behavior! Yet today, man, led by the
deceit of satan, has conveniently convinced the world that drunkenness, or
addiction is a disease. One that properly treated in any of the thousands of
12-step addiction recovery programs can be cured! Cured, if in their step 3,
you “turn your lives and wills over to some undefined, imaginary, higher power,
or a god of your own understanding”! Or, in other words, a false idol! For
decades these 12-step programs along with their false teachings and heresy have
been deceitfully infiltrating our Churches, disguised as, and professing to be
of Christian origin! Not so, as they refuse to declare Jesus Christ as The Son
of God, Crucified and Risen as a Sacrifice for our sin and Alive today to live
in those of us who ask Him into our Hearts as our Savior! Actually these 12-step
programs refuse to allow any discussion or mention of His Holy Name! Yet today
we see many of these programs under the spires of many of our Churches, used
for counseling their members who are suffering with addictions to drugs and
alcohol!
The
40 Days in the Wilderness addiction recovery program was created to offer the
Church a genuine Christ-centered, Biblically based program that could be used
by groups or individuals, and uses God’s Word to show alcoholics and addicts
what they need to do to defeat satan in their battle with him to keep them
trapped in the bondage of drunkenness. There are 40 days of devotionals and messages
backed with scripture on various topics that apply to addictions to drugs and
alcohol that millions of men and women suffer with in and out of the Church!
Many have left the Church in recent years because there hasn’t been a credible
addiction recovery program available for them that focuses on God’s Truth! They
become lost in their sin and seek help in the world!
40 days of Good News, will wipe
out a lifetime of addictions!
INTRODUCTION
40
Days in the Wilderness is an addiction recovery program created to be used by
Churches, counselors, Church home groups, existing addiction recovery programs
and groups, homeless shelters, jail and prison ministries and chaplains, as
well as by individuals seeking God’s direction, through scripture, in defeating
satan’s bondage of addictions to drugs and alcohol. Each day’s devotional message
and accompanying scripture readings can be carried over into additional Bible
studies on that day’s topics depending on how much time someone wants to
allocate or devote to the program. It is recommended that the program be
finished in 40 days to better benefit from each previous day’s message.
However, it will be better to finish the devotionals rather than give up
because you can’t get it done in forty days. If extending it to a 20 or 40 week
program better fits your schedule, there may be a bigger benefit in having a
full week to reflect on the day’s reading topic and scripture, and practicing
what you’re learning could be a powerfully transforming experience as well.
40
Days in the Wilderness offers you an opportunity to be mentored by someone who
has been SAVED and SOBER for 32 years, has facilitated hundreds of addiction
recovery meetings in and out of many Churches, has written several books on the
subject, and maintains several websites on the subject of addiction recovery in
the Church. However, my experience will be futile if you don’t take my
suggestions to Jesus in prayer for His confirmation. I suggest that you be as
the Bereans did in Acts 17:11
in all that you do in life, to protect yourself from all the deception in the
world! The fundamental message in this program is found in Matthew 6:33 (KJV) “But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
God
won’t mislead you, man most assuredly will whenever you let your guard down!
Man has been misleading millions of alcoholics and addicts around the world for
decades in and out of addiction recovery programs because of the absence of
Jesus Christ in those programs! 40 Days in the Wilderness puts Jesus Christ at
the forefront of each day’s devotional!
Opening Prayer…
Lord,
before we begin this day let us thank you for your Love, Mercy and Grace, which
without, we wouldn’t be here in your presence. Lord we ask you to Bless each
and every one of us as we begin this day in our 40 Days in the Wilderness
journey with you, and ask in complete humility and brokenness for your wisdom
and guidance to lead us unto greener pastures and still water. That through
your Love, Grace, wisdom, and guidance, we will find not only our Salvation,
but complete deliverance from the bondage of our addictions.
We love
you Lord, and pray in Jesus precious name, …..
Amen
DAY 1
BE BORN AGAIN
We must be
“Born Again” to be Saved and Sober!
A brand new day, a brand new life,
and a brand new man!
Becoming clean and sober for the experienced,
relapsed alcoholic or addict is usually a terrifying experience! Whether for
the first time or the 100th time, sobriety is a dark, unfamiliar,
and frightening state of mind. Much like being lost in “the wilderness,” Like a
child entering a dark room, it can be a terrifying experience. Many alcoholics
and addicts turned to drugs and alcohol because their childhoods involved many
dark and scary experiences to begin with, and they fear the unknown. They
turned to drugs and alcohol to escape the reality of the pain and suffering
that life threw at them, and to face a dark unknown place without their drugs
and alcohol is terrifying. Today we must focus on the “light” and “hope” of
Christ, Psalm
119:105, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:49,
Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. Today especially, we must take our eyes and minds off
of the past, and focus on the future. When we become Born Again believers in
Christ, we become a “brand new
creature” in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We begin a new life that’s filled with hope, and the Power, (Acts 1:8) to overcome the bondage of sin that’s kept us in
our addictions in the past! We are promised to be “Set Free” according to Jesus
in John 8:31-36, providing we obey His teachings. If you
haven’t already done so, make today the first day of the rest of your life,
clean and sober. Free from drugs, alcohol, or any other sin you may be addicted
to. Surrender your life and your will to the care of Jesus Christ, and you’ll
have no reason to fear the unknown “light” of sobriety. Leave the “darkness”
behind forever! “Fear not!” …… “Hear, O Israel, ye
approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts
faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye
terrified because of them; Deuteronomy
20:3 Trust God’s Word as the
Truth, words of encouragement for you to stand firmly on as you move forward in
your battle with satan and addictions! Today you can choose a new clean and
sober life, an everlasting life free from the pain, suffering, and darkness of
the past. No one can make that choice for you, but knowing that Christ is there
reaching out to accept you, and will be there to guide you, should make it an
easy choice!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on being Born Again!
DAY 1
BEING BORN
AGAIN
WE MUST
REPENT TO BE SAVED AND SOBER!
Being born again and being absolutely sure of it is as crucial to
our sobriety, as it is to our Salvation! Repentance is just as crucial to our
Salvation, as our Salvation is to our sobriety! Sobriety is temporary if not
built on a solid foundation based on God’s Truth. I believe that our Salvation
is permanent if it’s real. There can be no doubt, as it is built on Faith! When
we doubt, we fail. If we doubt and aren’t absolutely sure through Faith that we
are Saved and Sober, we probably aren’t! Doubt is from satan, and is an
expression that we are calling Jesus a liar! It breeds insecurity which is one
of satan’s most powerful weapons. It’s one of the weapons he uses to lead most
of us into our addictions, and keeps us away from recovery, by keeping us away
from trusting, believing, and having the Faith we need in God and His Son, and
His Word, the Truth, to find our way out of those addictions! We are instructed
throughout The Bible to Repent and be Saved, yet the world is filled with false
teachers teaching false doctrine to the contrary! Scripture doesn’t lie! Matthew 3:11,4:17, 9:13,21:32, acts 2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 8:22,
11:18, 17:30, 20:21, 26:20, Rev.3:3, 3:19
“We once were lost, but now we’re found”!
No matter how long you’ve been lost in addictions to drugs and
alcohol, you’re always welcome home into the loving arms of God your Father,
and His Son, Jesus Christ! You are, and have always been, His prodigal Son! (Luke 15:11-32) WELCOME
HOME!
“Once Saved, always Saved”?
Hebrews 6:4-6, https://carm.org/about-can-person-lose-salvation Born again: John 3:2-4, John 3:7, 1 Peter 1:3, 1:23, Confidence and Assurance: John 15:5, John 17:8, I John 3:21, 4:17, 5:13-14, 20, 3 John
1:12, 2 Pet. l:19-21, Heb. l0:22-23, 11:1, Col. 4:12, Luke 1:4, Fear not:
Deuteronomy 20:3, Psalm 27:14, Isaiah
40:29, Philippians
4:13, Mathew 10:28
YOUR NOTES
DAY 2
TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on trials and
temptations.
DAY 2
TRIALS AND
TEMPTATIONS
1 Corinthians 10:13; There hath no temptation taken you
but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way
to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
James
1:12-13: 12 Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted,
I am tempted of God: for God cannot
be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
The reason we are here today is because we are
all sinners. Drunkenness is a sin. Temptation led us to drunkenness, just as it
leads us to all other sin. Most of us know right from wrong, and our sinful
nature is triggered by temptation. The scripture above is but a small sampling
that is available to us to show us that God “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”. It is our lack of Faith that drains the power
that we have access to through the Holy Spirit to overcome the temptations that
Satan sends our way. Matthew 8:26; And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful,
O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and
there was a great calm. It is your Faith that will give you the power to
overcome the temptation that leads to drunkenness! And with the Faith of a
mustard seed, we can defeat Satan’s efforts to destroy us! Matthew 17:20.
YOUR NOTES
DAY 3
HOPE
For anyone familiar with secular 12-step addiction
recovery programs, you’re also familiar with the hopeless statement made
endlessly, “once a drunk, always a drunk.”
A very depressing, negative comment for anyone seeking to find hope and
shelter from the storm of their addictions. It’s clear evidence why secular
recovery programs don’t belong in our Christian Churches. Most of us have spent
years in our addictions listening to such negativity wondering why we can’t
succeed in our recovery. An alcoholic or addict needs encouragement to begin the journey to recovery, not discouragement! Psalm 10:16-18, “The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will
perish from his land. 17, You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you
encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18, defending the fatherless and
the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. For
the brand new believer, or the newly recovered alcoholic and addict, God’s Word
is filled with Hope in scripture like 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, which God sent to us to fill
us with the hope and encouragement that we need to get through another day. We,
on the other hand must take the time to read, and meditate on it. We must
understand that satan will do everything in his power to keep us from God’s
Truth, and consequently from recovery. We must put on the full armor of God, (Ephesians 6:10-17) to defend ourselves from the
constant attacks, trials, and temptations that satan will attack us with. GOD tells
us in Heb. 6:19: "Our "Hope" is certain. It is
something for the soul to hold onto. It is strong and secure. It goes all the
way into the most Holy room behind the curtain". 1 Peter 1:3, Praise
to God for a Living Hope, 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Galatians 5:1 [
Freedom in Christ ] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Romans 15:13, May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so
that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on more Hope.
DAY 3
OUR HOPE
Without
Jesus in our lives as our Lord and Savior, we live in a very dark world where
there is no hope beyond the devil’s promises. A world filled with lies, and where
most addiction recovery programs insist that your drunkenness is a disease
without a cure, and that “once you’re a drunk, you’ll always be a drunk”! A
hopeless analysis and prediction without any encouragement that leads many
alcoholics and addicts deeper into despair and relapse. God, through His Word offers
the Christian infinite Hope throughout The Bible, and promises to “set us free” from
the bondage of drunkenness! (John 8:32-36) The alcoholic and addict who is Born Again finds more
than Eternal Life, but becomes Saved
and Sober!
Also read: Prov. 23:18, Rom. 15:4,13, 5:5,8:24-25,
Eph. 1:18-19, 2:12, 4:4, Heb. 3:6, 6:11,10:23, 1 Cor. 13:13, Titus 1:2, 1 Pet.
3:15, 1 Thes.1:3.
YOUR NOTES
DAY 4
MORE HOPE…
THERE IS
POWER IN THE BLOOD!
Yesterday, we mentioned secular 12-step addiction
recovery programs, and their hopeless, negative implication that we’re all,
“once a drunk, always a drunk.” Today, we’ll look at yet another hopeless,
negative implication which is the first step, where we’re told that we’re “powerless.”
Which is true if you’re an unbeliever, but pure Heresy to the born again
Christian! Many Christians in addiction
recovery have been mislead for years in various secular 12-step addiction
recovery programs, where the first step tells them that they’re “powerless”.
The above scripture, including Jesus’ own words, provide evidence to the
contrary, and prove that statement to be a lie. Again, the unsaved are
powerless, and we ourselves were
powerless before we became Born Again, But God tells us throughout His Word
that we are no longer powerless once we‘ve surrendered to Him as our Savior. A
problem for many Christians in recovery today, is that for many years in many
churches, that Truth has been lost as a result of the integrated use of secular
12-step programs. You can’t mix God’s Word with secular philosophy, anymore
than you can mix oil and water. What you get in this case is blasphemy and
heresy! Christ shed His blood on the Cross, that we might be Saved and receive
Salvation and His “Power.” 1 John 5:6 NLT, “And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son
by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water
only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with
his testimony.” To
contradict that Truth, and say you’re powerless, is saying that His Crucifixion
was in vain! As Christians in recovery we must learn to accept all of God’s
Truth in Faith and obedience and be SAVED and SOBER! With the Faith of a
mustard seed we can move mountains according to Matthew 17:20, certainly we have the “power” to crawl out
from underneath this mountain we call addiction, and conquer it by climbing to
the top! “We can
do ALL things through Christ” who dwells within us”. We are no longer powerless! We no longer
have an excuse to remain in our addictions!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on more Hope.
DAY 4
MORE HOPE…
THERE IS
POWER IN THE BLOOD!
Without hope the
human race is lost. As I write this the year is 2016 and the human race appears
to be as lost as it was 2000 years ago when God sent us His Son to be Crucified
on The Cross for the Salvation of those who are willing to repent and follow Him.
Millions have done so, and have been Saved, yet the world, and most of the
billions who now inhabit it are still lost, and still need to choose to follow
Christ or suffer the consequences of Eternal damnation in hell! Many of the
billions of our neighbors have fallen prey to the wrath of satan’s sin known as
drunkenness, and without the Hope of Jesus will live out the rest of their
lives fighting addictions, relapsing in between one addiction recovery program
after another! Only by the Blood of Jesus can we be Saved
and Sober, through God’s Truth, according to
His Word, by Grace
Alone, through Faith
Alone, and in Christ
Alone!
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 5
THE FAITH OF A
MUSTARD SEED
Most of us have been
beaten to a pulp by the time we’ve finally conquered our battle with denial,
and decided we’ve had enough chaos in our lives, and it’s time to surrender our
lives and wills to God. By the time we’ve reached our final “bottom,” we’ve
been so damaged and beat up by satan that we have very little life left in us.
Having Faith may seem to be an impossibility after spending so much time in the
darkness and pain of addictions, and the consequences that they lead to. But we
must learn to trust God to lift us out of the past, the deep dark abyss we’ve
been held captive in for so long by satan. Most of us are so wounded and
scarred, we need Jesus to pick us up and heal us before we can move forward.
We’ll need to muster up the Faith of a mustard seed just to face the rising sun
of a new day. But we have many promises from God that He will
be there for us in our new life with Him. If we can move mountains with the
tiniest amount of Faith, imagine what we can accomplish if we rise from our
ashes and exhibit great amounts of Faith. We are told that we can do “all
things” with God in our lives. Matthew 19:26, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this
is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 8:26, And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O
ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there
was a great calm. Our Faith
erases our fears over life’s challenges and gives us the strength we need to
have victory over our addictions. Once we see our addictions as a mere anthill
in the mountain ranges of Everest, or see ourselves as David facing Goliath, we
will possess the confidence and assurance we need to defeat any trial the enemy
can throw at us! Without Jesus in our lives, the walls of addictions could have
been built with paper and we wouldn’t have been able to tear them down. Now
with Jesus in our lives, if those walls were built with steel and concrete, we
could tear them down as if they were paper!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on our Faith.
DAY 5
We
can only be Saved and Sober through the Truth according to God’s Holy Word, by Grace Alone,
Through Faith Alone, and in Christ Alone!
I
was Saved 30 years ago, 2 years after
getting Sober! Sobriety did not
change my life or the dysfunctional habits and behavior I had created during
the 30 years I was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. I had merely
become a dry drunk who needed Jesus to change my life! 6 months after accepting
Christ as my Lord and Savior I ended up in prison for crimes I committed before
I was Saved! At first that circumstance was a giant mountain in my path, but
soon I recognized God’s hand in it and the opportunity He was giving me to get
to know Him better and to build my Faith in Him. I quickly learned that with
the Faith of a mustard seed I could move that mountain by climbing to the top
of it! Hebrews
11:6, And
without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to
him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly
seek him.
Whoever may be reading
this should know that God’s Word applies to all! Our Faith is only as strong as
our earnest desire and willingness to please Him by seeking His presence in our
lives, and to follow His guidance.
YOUR NOTES
DAY 6
Beware of false teachers!
“By the very nature of
deception, a man doesn’t know
when he is
being deceived or is deceiving himself”!
The biggest obstacle you'll encounter in your new life with
Christ, will be satan, our enemy, he does not want you here! You're probably
here, reading this right now, because he's been chasing after your soul with
drug and alcohol abuse most of your life, and he certainly doesn't want you
turning to Christ for Salvation or recovery from your addictions! We’re warned
throughout God’s Word to beware of false teachers and prophets, 2 Peter 2:1, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just
as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce
destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing
swift destruction on themselves.”
also in Matthew 7:15, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Acts 20:29, I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in
among you and will not spare the flock.” How do we do this you ask?
There are false teachers everywhere, how do we protect ourselves and detect the
deceitful ways of the enemy? First, we must put on the full armor of God, Ephesians
6:10-17,
and follow the words in Acts 17:11, we must be as
the Bereans did, and examine, study, and meditate on God’s Word daily, and
compare it with whatever we’re being taught, no matter who’s doing the
teaching. The Bereans were actually validating what Paul was teaching. When we
find ourselves in doubt or unsure of God’s meaning of something, we need to
pray and ask God Himself, for His divine inspiration, and if necessary, pray
until our knees bleed! He WILL answer, in HIS timing! Trust Him!
And be SAVED and SOBER! Phil.3:15, All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of
things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make
clear to you. We’re living
in the end times, and as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow; the chances are
pretty likely that somewhere in your travels you will encounter some false
teaching, and quite possibly even the one who is spreading it! That’s why we
need God’s armor and to be alert and know His Word.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on false teachings.
DAY 6
Beware of false teachers!
“By the
very nature of deception, a man doesn’t know
when he is
being deceived or is deceiving himself”!
Alcoholics and addicts have
been hiding from The Truth since they first started using drugs and alcohol to
escape from reality! When we finally turn our lives and wills over to God for
Salvation and Sobriety, we are expecting to hear the Truth. But there is as
much deception in the Church today, as there is in the world! And that
deception trickles down into the addiction recovery programs in many of our
Churches. We know God’s Word is The Truth, and that we can trust it always,
when delivered to us through The Holy Spirit. But we can’t put our Faith and
trust into another fallible man’s interpretation of God’s Faith. That’s why the Bereans, “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was
true.” (Acts 17:11) And that’s why we must do the same!
YOUR NOTES
DAY 7
DISCERNMENT!
God
equips each of us with enough discernment to complete and fulfill His plan and
purpose for our lives. Whatever He has in store for us, He will equip us with
everything we need. We must simply learn to trust Him, and be patient. We must
quickly learn to distinguish and recognize what and who we’re listening to and
reading in our walk with God, and where we’re spending all of our time. We
won’t learn much about God on the golf course or at the race track! We must
understand that satan will be looking over our shoulder constantly in an
attempt to distract, confuse, and deceive us. His goal is to keep us from
understanding God’s Truth, which will consequently keep us in the bondage of
our sin. Hearing and believing lies the world feeds us is the very reason that
many struggle with addictions today. We must learn to read, study, and meditate
on God’s Word regularly, and be like the Bereans did in Acts 17:11, “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than
those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” We must
validate what we’re being taught by examining God’s Word for ourselves. God has
a different plan and purpose for each and every member of His family. And each
of us will require different skills and knowledge, and different degrees and
levels of discernment. Much of our discernment and understanding is only
available through time and experience, and the diligent study of his Word. This
is exactly where most Christians fall short. Most Christians spend more time
making excuses why they don’t spend more time reading The Bible, then they do
reading The Bible! An irony that keeps many spiritually immature, and keeps the
Christian in addiction recovery from knowing and understanding The Truth, which
is needed to be set free from the bondage of sin. (John 8:31-36).
The sooner we learn to discern the Truth from the devils lies, the sooner we’ll
discover and experience God’s peace that comes with being Saved and Sober! For centuries man has been trying to defile and
discredit God’s Word, Making our discernment all the more important…
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on discernment.
DAY 7
BE VIGILANT
In addiction recovery, when we cry out
to God and His Son, Jesus Christ for Salvation and sobriety, He is Faithful in
answering our prayers! He will open many doors for you, to lead you to sobriety
that are often slammed shut in your face by the many false teachings that are
found in today’s addiction recovery programs! False teachings that come from
satan, our enemy, who does “NOT” want you SAVED AND
SOBER! The devil
is leading “ALL” secular addiction recovery programs with lies and deceit
that will keep you trapped in the bondage of your drunkenness until you
recognize that you chose the wrong God in their step 3! To find Salvation and
sobriety, you must choose "The One True Living God of the Bible" in “STEP 3”
Millions of alcoholics and addicts have
spent, and lost their lives chasing their tails, doing the AA step 3 dance,
relapsing at step 3 because they don’t know which way to turn. Knowing in their
hearts that there is only One God who created them and can perform the miracle
they need to be set free from their addictions, but led by AA to believe that
there are many gods that they can worship! A lie that will keep them paralyzed
in their drunkenness, and lead them to hell!
YOUR NOTES
DAY 8
TRUSTING GOD’S
WORD, THE TRUTH
The history of addiction recovery in our lifetimes has been dominated
by the 12-step program that professed to be of Christian roots, yet refused to
confess Jesus Christ as God, and "The One True Living God of the
Bible"! That, by itself is grounds for disqualification as a
Christian group or program, and misrepresentation of God’s Sovereign Truth! As new
Christians, we are extremely vulnerable to many predators and false teachers! Once
we become born again Christians we must learn to discern and trust every word
of God’s Holy Word, The Bible! It is crucial in our early childhood of The
Christian Faith to do as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11, “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than
those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”. While there will be much of it that we don’t
understand, we must trust that every word is The Truth, and was written for
each of us, to teach us God’s perfect plan for our lives.
Most of those in addiction recovery programs during the past
few decades have heard very little truth in traditional secular 12-step
programs that are filled with heresy, and don’t belong in our Christian
Churches. For those who have struggled for years in addiction recovery
experiencing relapse after relapse, trust has become a distant memory, lost in
the constant broken promises found in “the 12 lies” of secular addiction
recovery programs. We do not have a disease, we are not
powerless as born again Christians, “once a drunk, always a drunk” is not
true, there are no steps to follow in God’s Word, if we follow Jesus!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on trusting and
obeying.
DAY 8
TRUST AND OBEY
Learning to trust and obey God after growing
up and living our previous lives learning from the world that we can do it all on
our own strength and power, can be a challenge. We must learn that yes, we were
powerless in the flesh without Jesus living in us, but as soon as we invited
Him and The Holy Spirit to live within us, we inherit their power, and that “all things
are possible to him that believeth”!
When we learn to trust and obey God, we can begin to trust ourselves! We can
begin to live our lives Saved and Sober and free from the bondage of
addictions. We can begin to restore relationships and move forward without fear!
Isaiah 50:10, Who is among you that feareth
the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness,
and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon
his God.
DAY 9
Confidence and
Assurance…
We must be assured of
our Salvation
if we’re to
succeed in our recovery
Confidence
and Assurance are crucial in our addiction recovery. They are the foundation of
our Faith, which is the foundation of our Salvation, which we need to begin our
journey out of the deep, dark abyss of addictions that we’ve been trapped in
for so long. Proverbs 3:26, For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. We’re told that with the Faith of a Mustard seed we can
move mountains! Matthew 17:20, And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for
verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you. God tells us we can do all
things, Philippians
4:13, I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Secular
12-step addiction recovery programs may have you brainwashed into believing
that you’re powerless over your addictions, but that’s a lie according to God’s
Word! God tells us in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means
hurt you.” And again in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” With assurance
like this, how can we doubt our ability to overcome the temptations that satan
will send our way today? Start your day today in God’s Word, and in prayer by
asking God to join you in your journey, to protect each of your steps
throughout the day. With the Faith of a mustard seed your day will be Blessed.
More
scripture on Confidence and
Assurance: I John 3:21, 4:17,5:13-14,20, 3 John 1:12, 2 Pet.
l:19-21, Heb. l0:22-23, 11:1, Col. 4:12, Luke 1:4, John 17:8
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on confidence.
DAY 9
Confidence and
Assurance…
We must be
assured of our Salvation if we’re to succeed in our recovery!
Repentance
is the beginning and the foundation of our recovery and Salvation!
Just as John wrote above, I am writing
this devotional for you who believe in Jesus Christ, so that you may know that
you have eternal life if you have repented and surrendered your life to Him. ACTS 26:20,
First to those in Damascus, then to those in
Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that
they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by
their deeds. If you’ve chosen The One True Living God of The Bible
in Step 3, as opposed to “one of your own understanding” that we find in
traditional 12-step addiction recovery programs, you can be count on Him to
answer your prayers and keep His promises! Psalm 102:17 (KJV), He will regard the prayer of the
destitute, and not despise their prayer. 2 Corinthians 1:20 , For no matter how many promises God has made, they are
“Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the
glory of God.
More
scripture on Confidence and
Assurance: I John 3:21, 4:17, 5:13-14,20, 3 John 1:12, 2 Pet.
l:19-21, Heb. l0:22-23, 11:1, Col. 4:12, Luke 1:4, John 17:8
YOUR NOTES
DAY 10
DENIAL
The devils most lethal weapon against an
Addict
Denial is what keeps a person trapped in their addictions. Sometimes for
years, and even decades. Many never see through the veil of deception, and end
up spending their entire lives stuck in the bondage of addictions. The simplest
definition of denial is when a person asserts that a statement or allegation
against them is not true, or a person’s defense mechanism, that when a person
is faced with a fact that is too painful to admit and accept, so denies and
rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be
overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Or they might minimize it and deny its
seriousness (a combination of denial and rationalization). Another very common
excuse and demeanor is often expressed in the comment, “It’s my life, I’ll do what
I want with it, and I’m not hurting anyone but myself.” Showing total disregard
for everyone around them. Christians will build on this theme by adding, “we’re
all sinners, who are you to judge me?” Pride, ignorance, and arrogance is
always at the root of denial. Blaming someone else or some circumstance for their problems
is always the first line of defense for an alcoholic or an addict. They’re
always the victim, never the perpetrator. They have a million excuses why it’s
never their fault. They never accept the responsibility that it was their choice
to take their first drink or drug, or the next one, or the hundredth, or
the thousandth, until they reach the point that denial is no longer an option.
Some people never reach this point, and die addicted and in denial of the truth
and the reality of their problem. Everyone reaches this point of acceptance
that they have a problem at different stages of their addictions. Many others
reach it over and over again, as they continuously relapse. Many have tried a
number of different 12-step programs and recovery facilities, to no avail. Denial
hasn’t changed at all since the beginning of time. When a drunk driver hits and
kills an innocent driver, or pedestrian, the drunk driver will always have an
excuse and say that they had the right of way, that the victim was in their
way, or had no right being there, or they had the green light, or didn‘t see
the stop sign, etc., etc.! One excuse after another, but always insisting that
it wasn’t their fault, and never taking responsibility.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL
BIBLE STUDIES
Additional scripture, commentary, and notes on denial.
DAY 10
Denial
Man has been denying God since the beginning of time.
Since creation, they’ve been denying creation, they’ve been denying His Son,
and His Truth! They deny Heaven, Hell, and sin! In the process, they deny their
very existence and all life that is associated with it. Alcoholics and addicts deny
that drunkenness is sin, and are waiting for a magical pill to cure it! Denial
is a form of deceit and self-deception. “By the very nature of deception, a man
doesn’t know when he is being deceived, or deceiving himself”! Most of us
started using drugs and alcohol to escape reality, (or deny its existence). Denial becomes the root or foundation of
our addictions, and extends into the reality that only The One True Living God
of The Bible, Jesus Christ has the power to answer our prayers and set us free!
Denying Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, is denying life itself!
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 11
DENIAL
(part 2)
The Truth about addiction recovery in the Church has
been so deeply buried in deception over the past few decades that it requires a
deep and sincere search of the scripture to understand The Truth! We’ve all
been taught right from wrong as children, yet we “refuse” to believe God’s Word as the Holy Truth. This leads us to
the denial of the fact that we’re helplessly lost in our sinful nature and have
slipped into whatever addictions that we struggle with. Until we learn to trust
God’s Word and start applying it to our life, we will continue to be in denial,
and until we overcome denial and admit that we have a problem with drugs and
alcohol, or whatever other sin it might be, we will be hopelessly lost. We must
surrender to Christ and begin following Him and His will for our lives before
we can be SAVED and SOBER! Matthew 16:24, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. As Christians in addiction recovery we’re faced with two separate areas
of denial to contend with. To deny that we have a problem with drugs and
alcohol or an addiction to other sin, is the first denial we must face and
overcome. Then, once we’ve reached that beginning stage of recovery, we must
overcome the denial that Jesus Christ is the only true source to recovery. Many
Christians in recovery have been brainwashed for decades into believing that
the AA 12-step recovery program is the only way to get clean and sober. Some
even believe that it has Christian roots, which is a lie that must be dispelled
before genuine recovery can begin. Tomorrow we’ll begin to look at some of the
different heresy and blasphemy that is found in AA and other 12-step programs
that just don’t line up with God’s Word. A Christian alcoholic or addict
denying that their addiction is a problem is no different than Peter denying
Jesus in Luke 22:33-34. 33 But
he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus
answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” Then there are
professing Christians struggling with addictions “who have a form of godliness but deny its power”
2 Timothy
3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last
days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on denial!
DAY 11
DENIAL
Rejecting or denying God is denying life itself, and
everything in it. It is the beginning of denying you are an alcoholic or
addict. When you attend secular 12-step addiction recovery programs, and let
satan convince you that there are many gods to choose from in step 3, you are
continuing to reject or deny The One True Living God of The Bible, Jesus
Christ. Once you repent and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you
will recognize your sinful nature and drunkenness, and turn from it! You will
be Born Again and a brand new person, 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV), Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 12
ARE YOU READY
FOR BATTLE TODAY?
We can’t win this battle with satan
without The full armor of God!
Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.,11 Put on
the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you
the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about
with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God:
No
matter who you are, where you are, or what day it is, you will be attacked by
our enemy, satan today. Throughout the day, whatever we’re doing, his attacks
and temptation are endless, 24/7/365! Like it or not, now that we’ve chosen to
follow God, satan wants us back! And he’ll stop at nothing to try to convince
us to return. Sin is all around us, and if we’re not fully prepared for battle,
armed with the protection that God supplies all of us with, we will lose
battles with the enemy. Many of our battles begin with deceit. Satan is the
master of deceit, and knows each of our biggest weaknesses. “By the very nature
of deception, a man doesn’t know when he is being deceived, or when he is
deceiving himself”! For many of us we are easily deceived because of a lack of
knowledge, often brought on by our own laziness, we must study God’s Word to
acquire knowledge. Still for others it may be a lack of Faith, or for others,
it might be disobedience or pride, or greed, no matter what our weaknesses
might be that keep us from the knowledge of God, they open doors of opportunity
for satan to sneak into our lives and destroy us! Beware! Satan is a wolf in
sheep’s clothing! And we are in spiritual warfare against him every day. It is
up to us to use the protection God has provided us with. It is our
responsibility to be prepared to fight off temptation, rather than fall into
it! Psalm 18:39 You armed me
with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that
you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great
power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty
strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and
seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on being prepared for battle!
DAY 12
YOUR BATTLES
No matter who you are,
where you are, or what day it is, you will be attacked by our enemy, satan
today, tomorrow, and everyday for the rest of our lives! Throughout the day,
whatever we’re doing, his attacks and temptation are endless, 24/7/365! The
sooner we learn to accept that reality and live by the above message, the
easier it will be to overcome those trials and win the battles! Secular 12-step
addiction recovery tells us that we are powerless! Until we accepted Jesus as
our Lord and Savior we were powerless over satan! He knocked us down with our
addictions, and kept us down with our denial! God promises us the power to
defeat satan in all battles! Beginning with King David and Goliath, the scripture itself is filled with power! The key
to using that power is our Faith. All the power God promises us is useless
without the Faith to use the power. There is no better example of the Faith we
need to use the power we have, then in Matthew 17:20!
In today’s simple English, “Get over it”! Put on the full armor of God, and go
into battle prepared to win! Because there will be many tests, trials, and
tribulations on the road ahead! 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 13
TRUSTING GODS TRUTH
Once
we become born again Christians we must learn to trust every word in The Bible,
which is The Truth and God’s Holy Word to us! We must learn to pray over it, study
it, examine it, meditate over it, and all the while seek discernment of it
through The Holy Spirit. While there will be much of it that we won’t
understand, we must trust that every word is The Truth, and was written for
each of us, to teach us God’s perfect plan for our lives. 2 Timothy 3:16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Most of those in addiction recovery programs during the past
few decades have heard very little truth in traditional secular 12-step
programs that are filled with heresy, and don’t belong in our Christian
Churches. For those who have struggled for years in addiction recovery
experiencing relapse after relapse, trust has become a distant memory, lost in
the constant broken promises found in “the 12 lies” of secular addiction
recovery programs.
God wants to restore your Trust in Him! He wants you to know
that His Word is The Truth and nothing but the Truth. He wants us to know that
the only way we can get to know Him, is through His Word. Building our
relationship with Him is vital to our recovery, and our Salvation, and can only
be accomplished by communicating with Him. Even with the Faith of a tiny
mustard seed, we can move the mountain of addictions that has overtaken our
lives and buried us in this deep, dark abyss of drunkenness. Matthew 17:20, He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I
tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for
you.” When we begin
to trust and obey, we’ll become new
creatures in Christ, and be SAVED and SOBER!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on trusting God!
DAY 13
TRUSTING GOD
Anyone who has
spent their life struggling with addictions without God is going to have a hard
time believing that there is any hope for them! Any alcoholic or addict who has
finally broken through the barrier of denial that has kept them in their addictions
for years needs to hear the Truth when they finally enter an addiction recovery
program! Sadly, there is little truth to be found in today’s 12-step addiction
recovery programs because there is a host of false god’s to choose from, and
put your trust into when you land at Step 3. The One True Living God of The
Bible’s Truth says that there is “but One
God,” and it says in Exodus 20:3
(KJV), Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Our only hope for permanent addiction recovery is to
put our trust and Faith into the only One True Living God of The Bible, and to
follow His instructions. Proverbs
29:25, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 37:5, Psalm 37:40
YOUR NOTES….
DAY 14
HE IS RISEN!
Most Christians celebrate Easter and
Christ’s death on The Cross once a year. Most Christians several days after
Easter, tend to forget that His resurrection means that He is still very much
alive today in the form of The Holy Spirit, and that when we call upon Him
through prayer, we can expect His presence. If we are Christians, we have this
promise, Acts 2:32-34, God has raised this Jesus to life, and
we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has
received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you
now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “The
Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand" As Christians
in addiction recovery, we must celebrate every day as if it was Easter. We must
maintain a constant vigilance to the fact that Christ not only hung on that
CROSS for us, but that He rose from the dead just to be here with you and I
today to guide us and comfort us out of, and through our addictions! It’s when
we lose sight of Christ’s sacrifice for us that the devil sneaks up on us with
distractions and temptations that will lead us right back to drugs and alcohol
or other sin. We must learn during this 40 Days in the Wilderness program, just
as Jesus did during His experience in the desert, that we will be tempted, but by
trusting God The Father as Jesus did, we also will be delivered. Jesus taught
us through His experience in the wilderness that our defense is to be found in
Faith and in God’s Word. Luke 4: 4, “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is
written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” It is knowing
and understanding the Word of God that will conquer the constant temptations of
satan. We inherited our sin and addictions from the fall in the garden. God
sent us His Son as a sacrifice to pay for those sins. While that sacrifice is
offered as a free gift to all who agree to accept it, it is by Grace, and
through Faith that we attain it. That Faith is established not by works, but
through obedience to Him. (Ephesians 2:7-9) Meet Christ at the Cross every morning as you start each new day, and
ask Him to accompany you through your daily journey; your addictions will be
left behind at the Cross to whither, and your Faith will grow and mature into
everlasting victory! Celebrate Easter everyday!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on the Resurrection!
DAY 14
HE IS RISEN!
God sacrificed His Son on The Cross so that the few of
us who call Him our Lord and Savior might have Eternal Life with Him! Jesus was seen by 500 according to 1
Corinthians 15:3-8 3 For what I
received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he
appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same
time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then
he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and
last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 15
FALSE TEACHINGS
False teachings in our churches lead to false
teachings in our
Christian addiction recovery programs!
“By the very nature of
deception, a man doesn’t know
when he is being deceived
or is deceiving himself”!
The
only way to understand God’s Word and His will for YOUR life, is to read it
for YOURSelf! Pray and meditate over it daily
and ask God for discernment until YOU
understand it. Do NOT ask your neighbor, friend, relative, spouse, brother or
sister in the pew next to you, not even your pastor or counselor, who far too
often these days are getting paid the big bucks to confuse you all the way to
hell! “IF” YOU’RE concerned about YOUR salvation, YOU
need to make sure that it’s GOD that you’re listening to, and is
teaching you, and not someone else who’s been the victim of false teaching, and
living a lie of false doctrine! That’s why we read in Acts 17:11,
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,
for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Just one of the many things He wants to teach you is
patience, and you can rest assured that no matter how long you live, or how
much you read and study His Word, when He calls you Home, you will not yet have
learned it all. But if what you have
learned, you’ve listened to, and learned it from GOD, not man, while you
resided here, you can also rest assured that Home will be Heaven and you’ll
have ETERNITY
with Him to sort out the unknown. We are not OF God, or IN God, or Saved, if we’re
not following and obeying God through His Word! The Word IS God! John 1:1, “In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. We can’t progress or move forward in our addiction
recovery, until we learn and understand certain basic fundamental Truths of
God’s Holy Word, and how they apply to our everyday lives. Not only as
Christians, but as Christians in addiction recovery. While our drug and alcohol
addictions are a form of sinful behavior, we must remember that our
addictive behavior is not shared by the general populace.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on false teachings!
DAY 15
FALSE TEACHINGS
False teachings in our churches lead to false
teachings in our
Christian addiction recovery programs!
“By the very
nature of deception, a man doesn’t know
when he is being deceived or is deceiving himself”!
Christians have been
deceived since the beginning of time. Millions of alcoholics and addicts have
been deceived over the years, and are still being deceived today, right this
minute around the world, in AA's 12-steps, which in Step 3 clearly deny Christ
as being “the only God”, or, "The One True Living God of the
Bible"! According to 2 John:7, this qualifies them (AA), as being an
antichrist! 2 John 7 (KJV) “For many deceivers are
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an antichrist”. Also in,….. 1 John 4:3, “but every spirit that does not
acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which
you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world”. Also in,….. 1 John 2:22 “Who is the liar? It is whoever
denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the
Father and the Son”. The
decision a person makes in Step 3 of a 12-step addiction recovery program, is
one of life or death consequences! Creating a “God of your own understanding”
will have deadly consequences! The scripture is perfectly clear, and for
anyone seeking addiction recovery through “a higher power”, or a “God of their
own understanding”, it should be perfectly evident who you need to choose to
answer your prayers and deliver you from the chaos your life has become because
of your addictions! Make your last relapse, your last relapse by making the
right choice in Step 3, and become Saved and Sober!
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 16
BEWARE OF FALSE
TEACHERS
AND THEIR
TEACHINGS!
(Part 2)
There is so much instruction
throughout God’s Word from beginning to end, that there should be no doubt about
the significance of being highly vigilant to the false teachings in the world
today as always. Everyone is so highly vulnerable and susceptible to the many
wolves in sheep’s clothes, that we are instructed in Acts 17:11 to, “ Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in
Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” If the Christians in the early
Church knew the importance of vigilance among men like Paul, how much more so
should we be today, knowing the history of the church over the past 2000 years?
If you’re reading this because you’re in an addiction recovery program you need
to know that first, the church itself in this day and age is on a very shaky
foundation. Maybe not the one that you’re attending, but the church in general,
has been under attack, and many are incapable of offering its members Biblical,
Christ Centered Counseling, instead opting for secular, worldly, man-made
counseling, which scripture forbids. Colossians 2:8, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ. The
reason God sent us His only begotten Son was to free us from our sin, our
addictions, John 8: 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching,
you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free.” If we’re to receive His
free gift of Salvation and become Saved and Sober, we must learn to follow and trust Him, Jesus, not a man with a
degree. The man with the degree may be able to give you some worldly advice,
but we as Christians have an obligation to ourselves, our families, and to
Jesus to be as a Berean, and search the scripture to see if that advice
measures up to God’s Word!
“By the
very nature of deception, a man doesn’t know
when he is
being deceived or is deceiving himself”!
CORRESPONDING
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on false teaching!
DAY 16
BEWARE OF FALSE
TEACHERS AND THEIR TEACHINGS!
(Part 2)
“By the
very nature of deception, a man doesn’t know
when he is
being deceived or is deceiving himself”!
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 17
During the next 40 Days in the
Wilderness, learning God’s Truth as it applies in the lives of alcoholics and
addicts, and as it has been abused in traditional 12-step addiction recovery
programs, is crucial to your success in being “set free” from the bondage of
your addictions, and the success of this program in your life. Secular 12-step
addiction recovery programs have been misleading Christians for decades with
unbiblical false teachings. During the next few days we will be examining 4
specific areas of concern that need to be exposed by God’s Truth. We’ll call
these the 4 Pillars of Truth. Today, we’ll examine Pillar #1, the great lie in
secular addiction recovery programs that has millions upon millions of innocent
victims convinced that their addictions are a disease. Scripture tells us that
we do not have a disease, but a sinful nature. In Galatians
5:19-21, we read, “The acts of
the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery,
idolatry, and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition ... Envy, “Drunkenness,” orgies, and the like. I warn you as I did
before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God!” This message can also be found in: Rom. 13:13, l Cor. 5:11, 6:9-10, Eph. 5:18, 1 Tim.
3:2-3, I Pet. 4:1-5. And for those
who still insist we have a disease, ... God says in Mat. 4:23 .....
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, …. Healing every disease and sickness
among the people". This message
is repeated in James 5:16, Acts 4:10-14,5:16, 8:7, 14:8-9,28, Ps.
I03:3. Wherever the word
“drunkenness” appears in God’s Word, in context, it’s always used along with
other sinful behavior. So again, we do not have a disease, but a sinful nature.
Before we move on to Pillar 2, let's review and study Col. 2:8: "See to it that no one takes you
captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ". Also we read in 1 Cor.
1:19-20, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20, Where is the wise
man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God
made foolish the wisdom of the world? If we want to overcome the bondage of our addictions we must learn to
recognize the evil the world wants us to believe is good!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our sin!
DAY 17
SIN OR DISEASE?
“SECULAR” Addiction
Recovery “EXPERTS” claim "Alcoholics and addicts have an
incurable “DISEASE". “GOD” says,… “WE DO NOT!” We
do not have a disease, but a sinful nature. In Galatians 5:19-21,
we read, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity, and debauchery, idolatry, and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition ... Envy, “drunkenness,” orgies,
and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will
not inherit the Kingdom of God!” This message can also be found in: Rom. 13:13, l Cor. 5:11, 6:9-10, Eph.
5:18, 1 Tim. 3:2-3, I Pet. 4:1-5. Wherever the word “drunkenness” appears
in God’s Word, it’s always used in context other sinful behavior. So again, we
do not have a disease, but a sinful nature. And for those who still insist we
have a disease, God says in Mat. 4:23.....
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, Healing every disease and sickness among
the people". This message is repeated in James 5:16, Acts 4:10-14, 5:16, 8:7,
14:8-9,28, Ps. I03:3. Before we move on to Pillar 2, let's review and
study Col. 2:8: "See to it that no one
takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on
human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on
Christ". Also we read in 1 Cor. 1:19-20, “I will destroy the
wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20,
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this
age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 18
Step #1 in all secular 12-step addiction
recovery programs begins with the encouraging news that we’re all “powerless”!
A very true statement to the unsaved unbeliever. But an absolute lie to the
Christian with the Faith of a mustard seed! If you’re participating in this
program after years in secular 12-step programs, the sooner you recognize this
lie, and accept God’s Truth as revealed here, the sooner you’ll be set free
from your addictions. For a Christian to be told that they’re powerless is pure
blasphemy and heresy in a Christian Church! GOD says..“WE ARE NOT
POWERLESS!" In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He also says in Luke 10:19, Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Or in Philippians 4:13, we read, "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me." Also in 2 Cor. 12:9-10 ...."My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness, ....so that Christ's power may rest
on me,....for when I am weak, than I am strong". Or Eph. 3: 14-21, "Out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through "His" spirit in "your inner
being" ....18: you may have power .... that "YOU" may be filled
to the measure of all the fullness of GOD". Or Col. 1:11 ..."Being strengthened with "all
power" according to HIS glorious might so that "YOU" may have
great endurance and patience".
Also read Rom. 8:1-17, 9:17, 15:13, Eph. l: 19-20, 3:20, 2 Tim.
3:1-5, Luke 1:35, Prov. 24:5. Don’t
listen to the world’s lies. To tell a born again Christian that he or she is
“powerless”, is false teaching in the church. And today, there are thousands of
churches around the country and beyond, that are guilty of this! If you were
using one of these 12-step programs, that begins with teaching a born again
believer filled with the Holy Spirit that he’s “powerless”, you need to
recognize that you were powerless before surrendering your life to Jesus
Christ, and now that you’re Saved, you have His Power through the indwelling of
The Holy Spirit!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our power!
DAY 18
“SECULAR” Addiction Recovery “EXPERTS” claim in
Step 1 that we are powerless. If we are fortunate enough to have escaped
the power of denial which has kept us anchored or chained in bondage to our
addictions, the first thing we are told in step 1 of AA is that we are
powerless. Which is absolutely true if you’re not a Christian! But it is
absolutely false if we are Christians! This statement is pure heresy in a
Christian Church or a Christian addiction recovery program, and should never be
allowed! “GOD” says ...… “WE ARE NOT POWERLESS“! Beginning
with, and throughout scripture, we find verse after verse to the contrary of
the message found in AA, or any 12-step program! Jesus also tells us
in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt
you." Paul tells us in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me." Also in 2 Cor. 12:9-10 ...."My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weakness, ....so that Christ's power may rest on
me,....for when I am weak, than I am strong". Again, don’t
listen to the world’s lies. To tell a born again Christian that he or she is
“powerless”, (as in step #1 in any 12-step program), is pure heresy in the
church. And today, there are thousands of churches around the country and beyond,
that are guilty of this heresy! If you are using one of these 12-step programs,
that begins with teaching a born again believer filled with the Holy Spirit
that he or she is “powerless”, you need to re-evaluate your program. Or simply
explain to them that they were only powerless before surrendering their lives
to Christ.
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 19
The
"secular" addiction recovery "experts" that we find in the
rooms of aa and other secular addiction recovery programs claim that "we
have no hope," i.e.: "Once a drunk, always a drunk". A very
commonly heard statement at 12-step meetings around the world. So commonly used
and heard in fact, one would have to suspect it to be a policy supported by the
leaders and founders of these 12-step programs. A very “Hopeless” statement
indeed! A type of philosophy or teaching only the Devil could perpetrate! While
we were lost in the world, before we repented and were born again, yes, we were
hopeless and powerless, now in Christ, we have received His power and hope! "GOD"
says in Heb. 6:19: "Our "Hope" is certain. It
is something for the soul to hold onto. It is strong and secure. It goes all
the way into the most Holy room behind the curtain". Or 1 Pet. 1 :3: "Give praise to the GOD and father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. In HIS great mercy he has given us a new birth and a
"Hope" that is alive".
Or Heb. 7: 19: "The law didn't make anything
perfect, now a better "Hope" has been given to us. That
"Hope" brings us closer to God". Also read: Prov. 23:18, Rom. 15:4,13, 5:5,8:24-25, Eph. 1:18-19,
2:12, 4:4, Heb. 3:6, 6:11,10:23, 1 Cor. 13:13, Titus 1:2, 1 Pet. 3:15, 1 Thes.
1:3. Notes: Read "In Touch"
(Jan. 3, 2011) on "Hope and Power" As Christians in recovery, are we
going to continue living in our addictions, and become another vital statistic,
or are we going to accept and stand firm on Gods Truth, (John 8:31-36),
trust it, and claim the victory over the bondage that is ours! (l Cor. 15:57
and 1 John 5:4.)
It's our choice. I'm sure you're not reading this for entertainment, but in
search for answers. All of the above are Gods answers according to His Word. I
hope you've taken the time to follow along with His Word. My prayer is that you
will find True and Everlasting Eternal Recovery in Christ Jesus, through the
Revelation of His Truth, which will result in Hope beyond measure! Amen
CORRESPONDING
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our hope!
DAY 19
FROM THE
Our Hope
Having surrendered to
and accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we've come to know the HOPE we
now have in Christ, and the Freedom we've received from the bondage of
addictions to Sin, according to HIS word in: John 8:31-36, Gal. 5:1, Rom. 5:5, 6:6-7, 8:24-25,15:4,13,
1 Pet. 1:3, Heb. 6:11,19, 2 Cor. 5:17, Ps. 25:5 God’s Word and promises are synonymous with Hope! Whatever
time we’ve spent as alcoholics and addicts, we’ve spent in the darkness of
hopelessness! Our lives revolved around the false hope of drunkenness. With the
Hope of that accompanies being Saved and
Sober, “I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13.
YOUR NOTES…
DAY 20
To claim to be a Christian, and then
suggest to your friends that they can make up a god of their own understanding
to worship, is well beyond absurd! It is well beyond heresy and blasphemy! It
is well beyond wrong and not of a Christian, but of the devil! Many have been
asking and debating for years, is A-A a Christian based program? Does it have
Christian roots? Were the founders Christian men? It should only take a few
verses of scripture of God’s Word, the Truth, to recognize and understand
scripture like… Mathew 28:19-20, (The Great Commission), or Titus 1:16,
or Acts 17:23,
that when we hear messages about putting our trust and faith into some
“undefined higher power”, or God of “our” choice, or a god as we choose to
understand him, we should easily be able to recognize the complete and total
lie, and false teaching in this practice. As Christians, there is only “One” God! A-A has been claiming for years to have Christian
roots, and yet proclaims that “any” god that you can imagine is acceptable in their
meetings and program. They refuse to allow the Holy Word of God in their
meetings, or any discussion of His Son Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit is
forbidden. Is it possible to receive
Salvation and Eternal life with God the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Spirit, from "some undefined higher power"? I believe the answer
is quite clear according to scripture. As long as A-A refuses to acknowledge
Jesus Christ as its “higher power”, and that there is but only one Sovereign
Almighty God, and refuses to allow the Gospel, and discuss Jesus Christ, or
scripture, or prayer in their meetings, it will never be a Christian program!
Period! You can’t deny Christ and be a Christian! While I understand their
original intent, which is still being practiced today, is to try to make their
meetings more appealing and acceptable to a larger audience, any and all
Christians #1 objective must be to lead others to Christ! Mathew 28:19-20
commands us to do so, and if we are Christians, we don't need a command,
because it should become our utmost desire to lead others to Christ.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on the lies of AA!
DAY 20
We've come to realize that there is “ONLY ONE GOD”, "The One True Living
God of the Bible, Jesus Christ”, 2 John 7,1 John 4:3, 1 John 2:22 to surrender our lives and wills to for Salvation and
sobriety, and to put our Trust and Faith in.Upon receiving Jesus Christ as our
Lord and Savior, we re ceive HIS POWER, according to HIS word in: 2 Cor. 12:9-10, Rom. 9:17, 15:13, Acts. 1:8, Eph.
1:19-20, 3:20, 6:10, Phil. 4:13, Luke 1:35, 4:14, 24:49, Mat. 10:1, Col.
1:9-12, 2 Tim. 1:7-8, 2 Pet. 1:2-4, Jude 24, Prov. 24:5
The many false gods we find in AA cannot save us from
the sin of our addictions!
YOUR NOTES….
DAY 21
A NEW DAY
“HALFWAY HOME, AND UP THE MOUNTAIN”!
WAITING PATIENTLY ON THE LORD
Every day Christians
struggling in addiction recovery ask themselves “why me Lord?” The answer will
always be, “why not you?” None of us are worthy of God’s amazing Grace, and we
will always need trials and temptations until we’ve learned not to ask such an immature
question. His grace is always sufficient, and when He does shed some upon us,
many are ungrateful in return by not acknowledging His miraculous and
mysterious way of saving unworthy wretch’s like us! We take for granted His
Love and Grace, not recognizing that His Grace, Love, and our Salvation are
conditional to all who ask, no matter how much sin is in our past, we must repent, and follow these
instructions in Acts 26:20 (NIV), First to those in Damascus, then to those in
Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that
they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by
their deeds. Perhaps the
most significant condition of our salvation is to repent and learn to be
obedient, and not continuing to live in our same sinful behavior. We must also
learn to “wait,” and be “patient.” Perhaps the most underrated words of all
time are, “God works in mysterious ways”! Isaiah 45:15, Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior,
you work in mysterious ways. Perhaps the
most wasteful time man spends, is in trying to figure out God’s many mysteries,
when He says in, Romans 8:25, But if we hope for that we see not,
then do we with patience wait for it. Or in, Ephesians
1:9, Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: God will reveal to us which mysteries He wants us to know, when He desires too! John 16:12-15, “I have much more to say to you, more
than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will
guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only
what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me
because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15
All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will
receive from me what he will make known to you.” Until then, He wishes for us to learn patience, Psalm 25:21, Let integrity and uprightness preserve
me; for I wait on thee. Perhaps the most important thing we can do to learn
His great mysterious ways, without wasting precious time and energy, is found
in, Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on being halfway home!
DAY 21
A NEW DAY
“HALFWAY HOME, AND UP THE MOUNTAIN”!
WAITING PATIENTLY ON THE LORD
When we have the Faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains of burdens, trials, and tribulations by climbing
to the top, and moving them to the bottom! After a lifetime of hopelessness in
the darkness of addictions, finding Hope, Faith, Joy, Love, and the Peace of
sobriety in our new found Savior, Jesus Christ, can seem overwhelming at times.
Being ½ way through 40 Days in the Wilderness with Jesus, we should be
beginning to understand who He is, why God sent Him into the world to rescue
us, and that we have a special purpose in this
life to follow and serve Him! Romans
5:3-5 (KJV) And not only so, but we
glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
NOTES
DAY 22
ARE YOU ONE OF THE MANY WHO ARE STILL LOST?
Could this be the reason for your addictions to drugs
and alcohol?
When
we are found in Christ, we are no longer lost in the wilderness! When we become
Saved, Born Again Christians, we become one in God, His Son Jesus Christ, and
The Holy Spirit. Since He is also The Word, we should also be in The Word. When
we ignore, overlook, or neglect one, we ignore all! If you are In Christ, if you have indeed
fully surrendered your life to Christ and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior,
you are one of the few who are found along the “narrow road” to Eternal Life. (Matthew 7:13-14) When you are in Christ, you know who you are, and why
you are who you are. If you are In Christ, you should know God’s purpose, plan,
and will for your life. In Christ, you can proceed to the final destination in
a straight direction, rather than in circles. In Christ, you can travel this
journey we call life in total Faith, confidence, and assurance that He is with
you, and will comfort and protect you in any storm that may come upon you. If
we are in Christ, we should also know that it is when we take our eyes off of
Him for a moment, the enemy in this spiritual battle is right there to distract
us! The more frequently we take our eyes off Him, the more difficult our
journey will be! The more we focus on Him, the smoother our journey will be! It
really is as simple as that. We’re told that with the Faith of a mustard seed
we can move mountains, what mountains are you facing today? Have your
addictions become a mountain in your life? Is it possible that this could be
the reason for your addictions, and that drawing closer to God is the answer?
It is impossible to be in Christ and remain lost. Luke 19:10
(NIV) “For
the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on being lost and found!
DAY 22
ARE YOU ONE OF THE MANY WHO ARE STILL LOST?
Could this be the reason for your addictions to drugs
and alcohol?
NOTES
DAY 23
GROWING UP
WITH GOD!
On the day we started using drugs and alcohol to
escape reality; we stopped growing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Whether we were 10 years old or 30 years old, our addictions have kept us
locked in a walking corpse controlled by satan! Dysfunctionally stumbling
through life without any sense of direction, destroying everything in our paths
including our families and all relationships! If we’re here today reading this,
we’ve overcome the denial that’s been holding us captive. If we’ve accepted Jesus
Christ as our Savior and are Born again, we are beginning a brand new life, and
it is time to start growing again, 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.
Since we stopped growing when we started using drugs and alcohol, we have
a lot of ground to cover and make up for. Through our new found Faith we need
to realize first that God knows exactly where we are in His Hands, and He won’t
give us more than we can handle, but He does expect us to grow and mature
according to His will and purpose for us. Philippians 3:14-16, Ephesians 4:12-14
, Hebrews 5:11-13.
You can expect there to be many trials ahead for you to learn how to grow up!
You can expect to breeze through some, and struggle with others, but He will
see you through them all!
Because we hid from so much reality, there will be
much to make up for. The advantage is that God will show us reality through His
perspective which is The Truth! If we are patiently seeking Him and His Will in
all
that we do, we will find His promises being fulfilled in all that we
do. It is when our Faith is weak and we let the enemy sneak through our armor, Ephesians
6:10-18, that we
will encounter the “reality” of trials. James 1:2-4 It is how we
respond to these trials that builds our Faith and character, and matures us
into who God wants us to be, not who we want
to be, but He wants us to be!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on growth!
DAY 23
GROWING UP
WITH GOD!
Spending decades lost in addictions, while
escaping from reality stunts our growth and maturity, rendering us insecure. We
allowed drugs and alcohol to become a false sense of security for us, and when
we become sober, we lose that security. Many will immediately find other
addictions to compensate for that loss, becoming dry drunks still lost in the
same dysfunctional behavior of the past. We need to fill that void with a close
personal relationship with Jesus to change our lives. He set us free from our addictions
so that we might live a gloriously blessed life with Him, and not one weighted
down with the burdens of satan! We must learn to read, study, and meditate on
His Word daily to grow with Him, and receive His blessings and many promises. 1 Peter 2:2, 1 Cor.3:1-3, Luke 8:14,
Eph.4:12-15, Phil.3:15, Col.1:28, Col.4:12, Hebrews 5:14, James 1:4 Read
more here….
NOTES
DAY 24
THE MANY MASKS WE USE TO HIDE OUR ADDICTIONS
LEAD TO AN IDENTITY
CRISIS, WHERE WE BECOME LOST SHEEP!
Or who he is!
Typically, most alcoholics and addicts
spend most of their lives under the influence of drugs and alcohol before they
seek recovery. In order to hide from reality and hide our addictions from
others, we begin wearing many different masks and creating false identities and
personalities. As we begin to lose touch with reality, we begin an identity
crisis and lose touch with who we are. The more drugs and alcohol we consume
and the more time we spend addicted to them, the further away from reality we
will drift and the harder it will be and longer it will take to return to any
sense of normality.
Addiction recovery in the secular world
without God begins with an indefinite period of time known as being a dry
drunk! Millions of alcoholics and addicts spend the rest of their lives in this
condition of being sober, (without drugs or alcohol in their blood or
stomachs), but living their lives with the same dysfunctional behavior they had
been while under the influence of drugs and alcohol!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our identity!
DAY 24
THE MANY MASKS WE USE TO HIDE OUR ADDICTIONS
LEAD TO AN IDENTITY
CRISIS, WHERE WE BECOME LOST SHEEP!
Or who he is!
IDENTITY CRISIS…
The minute alcoholics
and addicts consume their first drink or drug to escape reality; they begin a
lifelong journey of identity crisis! As they begin to lose touch with reality,
they simultaneously lose touch of who they are. They begin wearing many masks
of false identity, and begin establishing multiple personalities to fit the
many different masks they wear from one day to another, or from one crisis to
another. The more they use drugs and alcohol to hide from reality, the further
they drift away from who they really were at one time. Life becomes a giant
lie. All truth is lost and denial becomes truth. Proverbs 28:12, Psalm 51:6, 1 Peter 3:4, Acts 26:20, Isaiah
48:6,
NOTES
DAY 25
ENABLING
Many, if not most of us here today,
arrived with much unwilling help from others. Almost everyone of us were
enabled along the journey into our addictions unknowingly by loved ones and
friends who had no idea that many of their efforts to help us, were in fact
aiding and abetting us deeper into the cesspool we had slipped into, rather
than helping us climb out! Enabling is almost always provided with
good intentions, and while most often supplied by family members, they get lots
of help from friends, classmates, teachers, co-workers, and even employers! No
matter how good the intensions might be, the results can often be deadly. They
often start at home in childhood, and as that child gets comfortable escaping
any consequences for their poor behavior; they usually take that poor behavior
to another level. The more bad behavior they get away with, the more likely
they’re to fall into temptation of other bad behavior. Alcoholics and addicts
learn very early in their addictions how to deceive and manipulate everyone in
their lives to give them “one more chance,” “I promise, I won’t do it again!
Until the enabling by others stop, the addictions won’t! Enabling is the
opposite of discipline! Society and its tolerance for sinful, immoral and
drunken behavior is a form of enabling! Legalizing drugs is enabling
addictions! Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on,
however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who
have been trained by it.” Proverbs 5:23 “For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by
their own great folly.”
Proverbs 10:17 “Whoever heeds
discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.” Discipline is key to our recovery. Our
addictions began as the result of a lack of discipline. We will never learn to
say no to drugs and alcohol or other sin, until we become disciplined! Proverbs 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be
counted among the wise.” The false teachings that we
find today in addiction recovery programs are a continuation of enabling! Lying
to alcoholics and addicts about their addictions will only prolong their
recovery! If you’re reading this because you’re trusting God for your recovery,
then you know that His Word is The Truth, and that the world and its philosophy
are lies! Colossians 2: 8 See to it that no one takes you
captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather
than on Christ.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on enabling!
DAY 25
Today’s
Churches, and the common false teachings that we find in many of them, are
enabling drunkenness and other sin! The message of repentance has been lost and
replaced with tolerance. Discipline and rebuking is considered to be
disrespectful and judgmental. Many are afraid to insult or embarrass someone by
pointing out their sinful behavior, and the consequences of that behavior. Not
doing so is simply enabling the sinner’s journey to hell! Nowhere in God’s Word
is tolerance to sin or lack of repentance an acceptable way to live. Yet many
of our Churches are catering to worldly, secular, sinful behavior that suggests
that drunkenness is acceptable behavior because “we’re all sinners”. To allow
and use secular, non-Biblical programs to counsel members who struggle with
addictions is to enable and encourage them! For many alcoholics and addicts the
Church is the final attempt to find addiction recovery, and if God’s Truth
isn’t presented to them, they may never return. To be Saved and Sober, we must
repent! Acts 3:19, 17:30, 26:20, 20:21, Luke
13:3, 3:8, 5:32, Mark 6:12, Mat. 3:2, 8, 4:17, 11:21, Rom. 2:4, Heb. 6:1,2 Pet.
3:9, 2 Tim. 2:25
AA has been enabling alcoholics and addicts
in their addictions for decades by promoting the idea that there are many gods!
Many false gods, yes, but only One true Living God who created all of us. There is but One
God,….. Malachi 2:10, “Have we not all one Father? Did not
one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking
faith with one another?” Or in Romans 3:30, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Ephesians 4:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, James 2:19, Or Isaiah 43:11-12
NOTES
DAY 26
OUR SELFISHNESS
WHEN WE LOSE “SELF”, WE WILL BE SAVED AND SOBER!
Our addictions and drunkenness was a
result of selfishness. We are thinking only of ourselves when our inability to
deal with the reality of the many trials life can throw at us, and the pain and
suffering that might accompany those trials, leads us to run and hide and
escape in drugs and alcohol! We are not thinking of the consequences those
actions have on everyone else in our lives. If we have a family, we are
abandoning them whenever we are under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Drunkenness prevents the human being from being capable of thinking about
anyone but themselves and where their next drink or drug will come from! They
are consumed with “Self”, and trapped in denial, deceived by satan into
believing “it’s all good”! Self- righteousness,
even self-pity take over our lives. Our dysfunctional selfish behavior leads us
to be “cooler than thou”, one minute, and “Woe is me” the next minute as we
head to the bar to “drown our sorrows”! Our addictions become our number one
focus and priority in life, our children will go without food or diapers, our
houses without electricity, or our landlords without rent, our cars without
tires or brakes, or our bank accounts overdrawn to serve our “self-interests”! Romans 2:8, “But for those who are self-seeking
and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
Our drunkenness and addictions will lead us to,… 2 Timothy 3:2-4, People will be lovers of themselves,
lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God— … who desires for us to be, …. Titus 1:7-9, Since an overseer manages God’s
household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not
given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest
gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who
is self-controlled, upright,
holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy
message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound
doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on selfishness!
DAY 26
OUR SELFISHNESS
WHEN WE LOSE “SELF”, WE WILL BE SAVED AND SOBER!
In our new Saved and Sober lives with Jesus we
must learn to live for Him and others before ourselves. Because He rescued us
from our addictions and sin, He has set us aside to be an example for others,
not to follow others. I noticed in a Christian bookstore recently that most of
the names of our famous authors take up 75% of the cover, while the title and
description may get 25%. A perfect example is; JOHN DOE writes about god! Another
example of pride and selfishness in the world today is the billions of
“selfies” being taken today and shared over the internet! Sinful behavior is
now being promoted and paraded as “prideful” behavior! Billions of dollars are
being spent advertising and promoting drunkenness in the media and on every
conceivable venue available to mankind! Making addiction recovery nearly
impossible without a Savior who can transform our lives, and free us from
ourselves! Prov.18:1, 28:25, Ps.119:36, Eph.4:19, 5:3, 5:5,
Phil.2:3, James 3:16
NOTES
DAY 27
THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF PRAYER
IN OUR ADDICTION RECOVERY
“ARE YOUR KNEES BLEEDING”?
Part 1
For a number of years now whenever a
brother or sister in Christ has come to me in anguish over their ongoing
addictions and commenting about how God's not answering their prayers in times
of crisis, (and for those with addictions, that can be a daily event), my
response has often been, “Are your knees bleeding?” Not to be taken literally
of course, but to make a point and get ones attention! When we’re struggling
with a crisis or a problem in our life, we should take 1Thes.5:17, “Pray without ceasing” very seriously.
If our crisis is addiction, we need to pray until we’ve been set free, and
recovered. Until we get to the point of living and obeying 1Thes.5:17, we
might be waiting for quite awhile before we can celebrate Victory over our
addictions! We must understand through our Faith, that the answers will come in
Gods timing, not ours. For example, if we're not living in obedience to His
Will, we may have to endure more trials until we learn to do so. We must
all endure the Refiners fire, also in Psalm 66:10, Daniel 11:35, Daniel 12:10, 1 Peter 1:7 . If “your knees are bleeding.”
be assured you’re in the furnace being “refined” for Gods purpose! Gods in
control of all situations, and He knows what we need, long before we need it.
He tells us, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1) “Not
to faint” means to be strong, stand in faith, and wait on Him! Trust Him! When
we fail and give up, relapse is waiting “just around the next corner” for us.
The enemy loves weak Christians who are busy practicing “Ye of little Faith,”
especially Christians with addictions, who are so vulnerable to his
temptations. "For Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus." (Galatians 3:26) “Praying
without ceasing” (1Thes.5:17) is
how we communicate with our Father. It’s a vital part of building our
relationship with him. We will never get to know and understand Him and His
will for us until we learn to pray on a regular and routine basis. Not just
when we’re in a crisis. To best understand “Praying Without Ceasing” (1Thes.5:17 ),
please read this devotional by Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest” , May 26, titled, “Thinking of prayer as Jesus Taught.”
(My emphasis on “thinking.”) I believe Mr. Chambers has provided us with
an excellent explanation defining the very complicated answer to the question, “what
is prayer?” A subject of the Gospel and Jesus’ ministry that has already
consumed forests of paper, written over centuries of time, many definitions and
interpretations, written by thousands of “expert Theologians."
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our prayer life!
DAY 27
THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF PRAYER
IN OUR ADDICTION RECOVERY
“ARE YOUR KNEES BLEEDING”?
Part 1
A Christian’s prayer life is crucial to their
relationship with God and their Salvation. An alcoholics or addicts prayer life
is crucial to their relationship with God and their Salvation, and their
sobriety! Without a meaningful prayer life, God can’t hear us, and we can’t
hear Him! Prayer is how we communicate with God, and without clear and constant
communication, our sobriety and Salvation is at stake. If we’re not saved, it’s
our prayers that will lead us to Salvation. Millions of people pray a sinners
prayer, attend church once a week for an hour, and believe that’s the extent of
their responsibility to God. It may be enough for Salvation, but it’s unlikely
that you will see much of God’s hand at work in your life. Jer.33:2-3, Mat.21:22, Rom.12:12, Eph.6:18, Phil.4:6,
James 5:16, 1Thes.5:17
NOTES
DAY 28
THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF PRAYER
IN OUR ADDICTION RECOVERY
“ARE YOUR KNEES BLEEDING”?
Part 2
Pray for Truth
My quote, “are your knees bleeding,” is simply meant to get
ones attention, one who’s caught up in a crisis, such as addiction, a crisis
which is seemingly without end or justification to those caught up in it.
Should that be you, and since your reading this, in all likelihood it either
has been you, or is now you, or will be soon, my point is, "draw near to
God!” (James
4:8) And continue drawing nearer to Him as needed, through
faith, until you feel His comfort! (Psalms
23) No matter what the circumstances are, we can always
pray and know that He always knows the answers to the problems, and has already
provided them, we just need to claim them, and wait for Him to deliver them,
when He knows the time is right! For example; When God gave
John the instructions to write to us in John
8:31-36 , He gave us the answer to our addictions then, 2000
years ago! Why do we Christians still struggle today with bondage to sin? When
God promised us that we can be "set free?" “Drunkenness” is sin!
(Please read this scripture again and again, if you’re still in denial of that
Truth.) Many Christians today have been so misled in regards to addiction
recovery, both inside and outside the church, they’ve either never read John
8:31-36 , or prayed over it asking God for His inspiration or
revelation, or they believe it was written for someone else’s benefit. My
friends, Gods Holy Word was written to all of us! That means
You! It is however, our choice to pick it up and read it! How often we do so,
is also our choice! Praying over it with God, asking
Him for understanding and revelation is also our choice!
The time we spend in prayer, and our commitment to Him is also our choice!
We choose what
we do with our time, and the excuses we make to justify those choices!
We need to choose, whether to be inconvenienced, or to make
sacrifices to please God and receive His full Blessings. Remember Job, or Noah,
or the many others throughout the Bible who were inconvenienced, but through
sacrifice and Faith, found Gods favor, and had their prayers answered, according
to His Will, and in His time!
CORRESPONDING
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our prayer life!
DAY 28
THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF PRAYER
IN OUR ADDICTION RECOVERY
“ARE YOUR KNEES BLEEDING”?
Part 2
Pray for Truth
NOTES
DAY 29
THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF PRAYER
IN OUR ADDICTION RECOVERY
“ARE YOUR KNEES BLEEDING”?
Part 3
Pray for Wisdom
We can do nothing on our own, without Him, so we might
as well surrender to Him, draw closer to Him, where we can clearly hear His
instructions to us, to get us through this crisis. As difficult as it may be in
our culture today, we must find the time and a “mountaintop,” (Mark
6:46), or a “solitary place” (Mark
1:35), perhaps in your “closet” (Math.6:6)
, where we can be absolutely alone with God, where we might hear Him as clearly
as possible. So close we can hear His breathing! It’s our choice,
do we want to be inconvenienced, or make the necessary sacrifices, not only to
hear Him clearly, but also to show Him that we care.
God wants our sacrificial Love for Him, in return for the sacrifice that he
made for us on the Cross for our Salvation! The least we can do in return, is
have an attitude of, “Lord, my knees are bleeding, in order that I might hear
more clearly and frequently from you, that I might get to know and understand
you better, through a closer personal relationship with you”.
Yes, we need to “Pray without ceasing,” ( 1Thes.5:17 ),
to be communicating with God in every breath that He blesses us with, not just
when we’re in a crisis, and not just from a “mountaintop,” but in all that we
do, even from on our knees, with tears in our eyes, and if necessary, until our
knees are bleeding! It’s all about our commitment to Him and our Love
for Him! He promises us that with “The Faith of a Mustard Seed,” Matthew 17:20, “And Jesus said unto them,
Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a
grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you”, “We can do all things” according to His Will! Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me. His
Love for us is unconditional, and His Grace, unlimited! He wants us to know
that He’s in control of all situations, that He knows
what we need long before we need it.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our prayer life!
DAY 29
THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF PRAYER
IN OUR ADDICTION RECOVERY
“ARE YOUR KNEES BLEEDING”?
Part 3
Pray for Wisdom
False teachers are have proliferated our churches and
addiction recovery programs in the world today. Satan is behind all addictions
to all sin, and controls all of man’s attempts to take back control. He uses
false teachers to deceive those seeking help, whether in or out of the church.
Alcoholics and addicts are perhaps the most vulnerable of all of God’s
children, and need to be on their knees in prayer perhaps more than anyone
else. All of God’s people have always been easily mislead by satan as we read
throughout scripture, which is why we read about “the narrow gate” and “the narrow road” to get to it, and through it! We must all be vigilant in our journey with God
in this life, but alcoholics and addicts must be extra vigilant! 1 Pet.5:8, 1 Tim.3:2,
NOTES
DAY 30
THE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF OUR
DRUNKENNESS!
IN OUR SPIRITUAL
LIVES
If our spiritual lives are in order according to the
Word of God, our personal and family lives will also be in order, blessed
according to His Will for us! While God promises to make our lives easy and
blessed, we, as imperfect sinners will tend to do everything in our power to
get in His way! Slow down His process, and create one trial after another for
Him to fix! As imperfect sinners, our sin, our greed, stubbornness, pride,
anger, impatience, slothfulness, and especially our drunkenness, will all keep us
from maturing spiritually. God’s patience on the other hand, along with our
Faith of a mustard seed, will eventually mold us into the person God created us
to be! There are many Christians struggling with drunkenness because they won’t
fully surrender to His Will. They hold onto, and won’t let go of bits and
pieces of their old worldly baggage, unwilling to accept all the scripture that
tells us that we are brand new creatures in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17) In order to start building and growing our spiritual lives and
enjoying the benefits, or reaping the harvest of our new lives with Christ, we
need to spend more personal time with Him, studying His Word, getting to know
Him personally, and His Will for our lives, and building our Faith in Him, all
by learning to listen to, and hearing the voice of The Holy Spirit! Acts 2:38, Peter replied, “Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. The
consequences of all of our sinful behavior, including our drunkenness affects everyone
on the planet! As Christians it is our responsibility to set an example to the
rest of the lost souls by being Saved and Sober!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on the consequences!
DAY 30
THE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF OUR
DRUNKENNESS!
IN OUR SPIRITUAL
LIVES
Addictions stunt our mental and spiritual
growth. When we turn to drugs and alcohol to escape from the pain and suffering
of reality, we are stopping the opportunity and our ability to grow and mature spiritually from the experience. If you believe the
false teaching that life is a bed of roses, you have a lot of growing and
maturing yet to do. God places many trials and temptations in all of our paths to build and grow strong
warriors for His Kingdom! When we choose to hide in the closet of addictions
and other sin, and then behind denial, to escape His trials and tests, we are
denying Him. If we’ve spent the better part of our lives hiding from reality
and failing to grow and mature, we can rest assured that it will take God a
minute or so to mature us into the person He originally created us to be. James 1:2-4, 1Thes.3:3, 2Thes.1:4, 1Pet.1:6,
2Pet.2:9, John 16:33, Eph.4:12-14
NOTES
DAY 31
THE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF OUR
DRUNKENNESS!
IN OUR PERSONAL, FAMILY, SOCIAL, AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES
If our spiritual lives are in order according to the Word of God, our
personal, family, social, and professional lives will also be in order, and
blessed fully according to His Will for us! Without God in our lives, the
consequences of our dysfunctional behavior that’s a direct result of our
drunkenness can have devastating, everlasting repercussions long after our last
drink or high! Many alcoholics and addicts experience multitudes of different
health issues, many which don’t show up for years. Drugs and alcohol are
usually the cause of many mental health disorders, including but not limited to
depression. Kidney, liver, lung, and heart failures are often reported by
patients who admit to addictions to drugs and alcohol. Alcoholics and addicts
dysfunctional behavior usually lead to broken families and relationships. Millions
of abandoned children of alcoholics and addicts grow up addicted themselves, or
suffering from the same symptoms as PTSD! Living and growing up in the
dysfunctional homes of alcoholics and addicts create the same traumatic stress
a soldier finds on a battleground! The only social life that most alcoholics
and addicts get to experience are confined to the walls of a bar or nightclub!
It is said that alcoholics and addicts don’t make friends; they just take
hostages and other people’s money! And finally, alcoholics and addicts
dysfunctional behavior usually hinders them from ever achieving any success in
their professional lives or careers. Without
God in their lives there is little, if any hope of recovering or restoring
any of the long-term consequent damage drugs and alcohol caused them. With God leading us through our
addiction recovery, because we are Born Again as in John 3:3, Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell
you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” We also find in 2
Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the
new creation has come The old has gone, the new is here”! We have the choice of lingering behind as “dry
drunks”, anchored to the consequences we created in our dysfunctional behavior,
Or, accepting God’s offer to follow
Him, and let Him “set us free” from the bondage of addictions, and “set us free” from all the baggage
we’ve been carrying with us! Read it again, John 8:31-32 and rejoice! John 8:31-32 (KJV) 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on the consequences!
DAY 31
THE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF OUR
DRUNKENNESS!
IN OUR PERSONAL, FAMILY, SOCIAL, AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES
Most of our families, friends, neighbors,
employers or employees, and anyone else whose paths crossed ours, suffered
right along next to us on our journey through our addictions! Most of these
people, especially our families and loved ones, will require the same Love,
Grace and forgiveness that God has shown us, from us! We must learn to know and
trust them, and be patient with them, even when they refuse to have anything to
do with us. We can’t expect them to know and trust us, or that God has changed
us, just because we say so. It will take time to prove it by showing it through
our actions. We can rest assured that God will walk us through the process
according to His Will and Purpose. If we’re Saved and Sober, His plan is for our new lives to be richly Blessed! The consequences are always our choice. Col.3:25, Eze.23:49, Eze.16:28,
NOTES
DAY 32
THE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF OUR DRUNKENNESS!
A Special Devotional for Those “On the
Inside”!
The Judicial system, Incarceration, and recidivism
There are millions of lost souls in our jails and
prisons today because of drugs and alcohol! Many began their journeys as
troubled young children in the homes of dysfunctional alcoholics and addicts
who abandoned them before they could walk or talk! Discarded by a society in
denial of the truth, and refusing to take any responsibility for its own
dysfunctional behavior, and the circumstances it’s created throughout the
world! There are many prison ministries and churches with prison outreach
programs that are primarily focused on family’s relationships and reintegration.
Programs that teach inmates education and job skills, but rarely if any
addiction recovery programs. Typically, the only addiction recovery programs
available in jails and prisons are secular 12-step programs. Churches or
Christian programs that use any form of secular 12-steps as a foundation for
addiction recovery need to re-evaluate and closely examine the error and heresy
in those steps. To use them, is to agree with them, no matter how you twist
them! Incarceration is a great opportunity for alcoholics and addicts to
conquer their addictions, but only if the addiction recovery programs are
teaching them the truth. Secular programs have been failing alcoholics and
addicts for decades, and in prison failure means not just relapse, but
recidivism as well!
CORRESPONDING
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on the consequences!
DAY 32
THE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF OUR
DRUNKENNESS!
A Special Devotional for Those “On the
Inside”!
The Judicial system, Incarceration, and recidivism
The numbers are staggering of those who are
incarcerated because of drugs and alcohol! Directly, or indirectly, some 80% of
all inmates in this country are locked up because of addictions, and a lack of
successful addiction recovery programs provided to them while they are
incarcerated. The keyword in that statement is “successful”. While secular
12-step programs abound, they cannot be deemed “successful” if relapse is the
common result. Until an alcoholic or an addict put their Faith in Jesus Christ,
there can be no real permanent, relapse free addiction recovery. While our
prison systems spend millions of dollars in other rehab programs preparing
inmates for release, those efforts are all in vain if those inmates turn back
to drugs and alcohol when they are released. When we put our Faith in Christ,
we become brand new creations! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 4:18, John 8:32-36,
Luke 4:18,
Isaiah 49:9,
Isaiah 42:7,
NOTES
DAY 33
MORE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR DRUNKENNESS!
PERHAPS THE MOST HEINOUS AND DAMAGING CONSEQUENCE OF
OUR ADDICTIONS, YET OVERLOOKED BY SOCIETY, IS THE EFFECT OUR ADDICTIONS HAVE ON
OUR CHILDREN!
Child abandonment and neglect is a heinous,
irresponsible, unavoidable consequence of the use and abuse of drugs and
alcohol by parents! The child becomes a helpless, innocent victim of a form of
child abuse the minute their parent becomes under the influence of drugs and
alcohol. This irresponsible, dysfunctional behavior is happening in millions of
homes around the world as you read this, and yet we hear nothing of it in our
news media. The anonymity and privacy rights of alcoholics and addicts have
rendered accountability useless, and satan has insensitized society to believe
that all sin and immorality is merely bad behavior. Many of us in this program are
Adult Children of Alcoholics and Addicts, and should have no problem relating
to the current generation of children of alcoholics and addicts, whether we are
parents ourselves or not. If we have children of our own, we must recognize
that the same denial that controlled our addictions, probably kept us from
recognizing and admitting what we were doing to our own children during our
drunkenness! Any parent who is an alcoholic or an addict, is guilty of child
abandonment and neglect, which is a form of child abuse! If we have repented
and asked God to forgive us, and become Born Again Christians, we must
recognize the Amazing Grace we’ve received from God to have been forgiven for
such heinous behavior. Let us pray today for our children and ask God to
protect them in all the areas of their lives where we let them down! May God
lift them up and reveal Himself to them, that they might turn to Him for
comfort and Salvation! Amen! Something to ponder… Exodus
34:6-8 Whether we are parents or not, our addictions
affect everyone on this planet by making it a much more miserable
place to live! Especially for our innocent children who have no way to defend
themselves.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on the consequences!
DAY 33
MORE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR DRUNKENNESS!
PERHAPS THE MOST HEINOUS AND DAMAGING CONSEQUENCE OF
OUR ADDICTIONS, YET OVERLOOKED BY SOCIETY, IS THE EFFECT OUR ADDICTIONS HAVE ON
OUR CHILDREN!
Sadly, and unfortunately, many of us spent our time as
alcoholics and addicts raising children. Or at least attempting to. The truth
is, that parenting and addictions are not compatible, and should never be
allowed or attempted! The responsibility of successfully raising a child
requires sobriety! Being under the influence of drugs and alcohol disables a
person from the ability to adequately raise, educate, protect, nurture and care
for a child. Abandoning and neglecting a child while under the influence of
drugs and alcohol is unquestionably an example of child abuse, but has become a
daily common occurrence in the world today practiced by millions of parents who
are either unaware of the long-term damage they’re inflicting on the children,
or the power of their addictions is in control of their senses! Math.19:14.
NOTES
DAY 34
SANCTIFICATION
(SHEDDING OUR BAGGAGE)
With so much baggage in our rear view mirror as a
result of all the consequences of our years of dysfunctional behavior, it would
be foolish to suspect that the message in 2 Corinthians 5:17 means that our past disappears. Being, “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come The old has
gone, the new is here”, means the
minute we accept Christ into our lives can start fresh! Our past will always be
there to remind us where we’ve been. Our memories will remain, and it will be
up to us, (with Jesus at our side), to fight off the many temptations that will
accompany us until we leave this earth to be with Him. We will always be
sinners, Romans
3:22-24 (KJV) 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: and as sinners
we will always need the Grace and forgiveness of Jesus! Sanctification is the
ongoing process of cleansing us of our sin, 1
Corinthians 6:10-11 (KJV) 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye
are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Remember, it is nothing but The Blood of
Jesus that cleanses our sin! We will need it every day, as we will fall short
of God’s Glory, each and every day! We live in a fallen world, and even worse,
we’re living in the very end times! Horrific times of heinous tragedy wherever
we look. The good news is that what we see all around us every day is thousands
of years of prophecy being fulfilled, affirming that Christ’s return is very
near! More good news for you should be that after nearly 40 Days in the
Wilderness in this program, you should have a new found confidence in Christ,
and know that “He has your back”! That you are covered by The Blood of Jesus! 1 John 1:7
(KJV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin. If you
began this program 34 days ago filled with fear, and without Faith or
confidence that God and His Son Jesus could set you free from your addictions,
there should be no doubt in your mind now that you are Saved and Sober!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on sanctification!
DAY 34
Sanctification Isn't Passive
3/6/12
Did you know that God didn't save you
just to keep you from hell and get you into heaven? His top priority while you
are here on earth is to shape you into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). But at this stage of our sanctification, He doesn't
do it all for us. We have a responsibility to cooperate with Him and actively
participate in the process. Yet many Christians have a passive attitude about
the life of faith. They tolerate sin and smooth it over with the age-old
excuse, "Nobody's perfect!"
When you received Christ as your Savior,
you took the first step in your walk with Him--a walk that will last the rest
of your life. However, you also stepped into spiritual warfare with Satan. The
Enemy may have lost your soul, but he's going to do everything he can to
hinder, sidetrack, and discourage you. The last thing he wants is a saint who's
on fire for the Lord and useful in the kingdom. But many believers have
abdicated their responsibility to live holy lives. In fact, some of them look
and act just like the unbelieving world. Sexual immorality is one area of
compromise that the apostle Paul addressed specifically, but in truth, we
should abstain from anything that interferes with godliness. Have you allowed
something in your life that shouldn’t be there? If so, you need to drop it now.
You don't want a thread of sin to become a rope, then a chain, and finally a
cable that traps you in a stronghold. Turn back to the Lord, and let your
sanctification continue.
NOTES
DAY 35
CHALLENGES
THERE WILL BE MANY…
As we approach the end of
our 40 Days in the Wilderness program, let us be reminded that there will
always be many challenges along our journey ahead. Most of us found ourselves
stuck in addictions as a result of using drugs and alcohol to hide and escape
from the reality of the many trials and temptations that the devil throws at us
in life. Now when we face many of the same challenges and new ones, we have
learned to turn to God! Not to drugs or alcohol, or any other form of escapism,
but to "The One True Living God of
the Bible" who sent us His Son to die on The Cross for our sins! Romans 8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to
these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who
did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not
also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so
that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the
Lord.” Martin Luther said years
ago “that wherever God builds a Church, there also satan will build a chapel”!
The same can be said as true with a Christian. Since we are the Church, we can
always expect to find the devil hard at work trying to tear us down! As former
drunkards and addicts, we can count on him to know our former and current
weaknesses, and focus on them to get us to fall. It is up to us to stay close
to Jesus for His protection and guidance! It is when we falter in our walk with
Him, even if just for a moment, it is then that the devil will strike! We can
never let our guard down. Deuteronomy
7:19, “You saw with
your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and
outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out.
The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear”. 1
Corinthians 10:13 “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”. 1 Peter 5:8
(KJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: James 1:12
(NIV) Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having
stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord
has promised to those who love him.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our challenges!
DAY 35
CHALLENGES
THERE WILL BE MANY…
We can count on many challenges and trials in our
ongoing process of sanctification! Iron sharpens iron! Most of those of us who have survived addictions by becoming Born
Again, Saved and Sober Christians are prime candidates for God’s army of
warriors who will take up our crosses and follow Jesus on the mission He set out on 2000 Years ago! It is
our trials and temptations that build our Faith, patience, and perseverance.
Tools that we will need to successfully serve God in the future to win souls
for His Kingdom! We must continuously grow and mature in our relationship with
Jesus to be prepared to encounter the millions of alcoholics and addicts and
lost souls still sitting on the bar stools next to the ones we used to occupy!
NOTES
DAY 36
CONFIDENCE
As we mentioned yesterday our confidence in our
Salvation is crucial in our addiction recovery! If we leave this program with
doubt, satan will see it and use it to wreak havoc on you! The slightest doubt
can lead to a major setback, even relapse! Matthew
14:31 (NIV) Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of
little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” The biggest
downfall for Christians in addiction recovery is “over-confidence”! Many of us think we can hang around the same old
crowds of friends, participate in the same old worldly events, partying hardy
till the sun comes up, and maintain our sobriety with the temptation of drugs
and alcohol all around us! If this program has truly led us to Jesus, we should
know by now that our surrender to Him must be complete! James 4:7
(KJV) Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You cannot assume that means to submit a little bit
of yourself from time to time, or for an hour on Sunday! If we are to expect
all of His Blessings, we must surrender our utmost for Him! There are two types
of mislead Christians today, those who think they don’t need to do anything to earn their Salvation, and
those who think they must do everything! When
neither is true. James 2:17
(NIV) In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action,
is dead. Acts 26:20
(NIV) First to
those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and
then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to
God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. When we truly Love Jesus, our surrender will be
complete, our confidence will be complete, our Faith will be complete, there
will be no doubt, and we will be on fire to serve Him in every way we can! Our
Faith and confidence will grow stronger over time, and there will be doubt from
time to time, but in the moment of our Salvation our Faith and God’s Grace
shall be sufficient enough to sustain us. Psalm 55:22
(NIV) Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. 2
Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on our confidence!
DAY 36
CONFIDENCE
We cannot accomplish any of yesterday’s great
accomplishments or goals without the confidence that God offers us through the Faith of a mustard seed. Our confidence comes through our Faith in His Word,
The Truth which is the reality that we’ve been hiding from all these years. The
confidence in knowing that when God says He Loves us and wants the best for us,
that He means it, and if we show the Faith of a mustard seed, and obey Him, He
will finish His work in us, Bless us, and answer our prayers according to His
Will! James 2:22, Heb.10:35,
Jer.17:7, 2Cor.3:4, 7:16, Eph.3:12, Ps.118:8, Prov.14:26, Acts 28:31, TRUTH #9,
NOTES
DAY 37
ANONYMITY
One of the many reasons you may be here today, reading
this devotional or in this program, might be because you’ve spent a great deal
of time trying to recover incognito, in some program that suggests that you
remain anonymous. Whether you’re a Christian or not, hiding from our addictions
and problems is not how to conquer or overcome them, anymore than hiding from
our enemies will conquer them or win the battle over them. We must face our
enemies to beat them, and there will never be a greater enemy in our lives than
our addictions. Unless we face and admit who we are in the mirror, or in front
of a counselor, or in front of dozens of other alcoholics and addicts in a
group meeting, we will never recover! Most of us began our journey in
addictions using drugs and alcohol to hide or escape from reality. If we
continue to hide from reality in recovery by remaining anonymous, we’re only
prolonging and hiding the issues that led us to our addictions! That is exactly
why millions of alcoholics and addicts have spent decades in denial, and in and
out of addiction recovery programs relapsing over and over again.
When we surrendered our lives and wills to Jesus,
repenting and asking Him to forgive us, we didn’t hide our identity! The minute
we were set free from our addictions, we were proudly anxious to admit who we
are, who we were, and who set us free. Our new life in Christ gives us a new
identity that we want to share with the rest of the world, especially with other
alcoholics and addicts, not hide it and remain anonymous! Our Salvation and
freedom from the bondage of drugs and alcohol that we’ve survived due to God’s
Love and Grace fills us with a joy that we want to shout from the mountain tops
and share with our brothers and sisters still trapped in their addictions, or
in an addiction recovery program that is preventing them from seeing, hearing,
and experiencing God’s Truth! Psalm 5:11
(KJV) But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever
shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be
joyful in thee.
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on anonymity!
DAY 37
ANONYMITY
NOTES
DAY 38
NEW LIFE / SECOND CHANCE
Instructions for Christian Living
As we prepare to finish our journey in 40 Days in the Wilderness, what
better instructions to take with us than the words of The Apostle Paul! Paul
spent his entire ministry in the wilderness! Like many of us he spent his life
persecuting or hating Christians before meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. There
is no-one better qualified than Paul to show us how to live out the rest of our
lives as born again Christians, set free from the bondage of addictions and all
the other sin that blinded us from God’s Love and Truth, and Christ’s Sacrifice
on The Cross for our Salvation!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on being Born Again!
DAY 38
NEW LIFE / SECOND CHANCE
As we near the end of our 40 Days in The
Wilderness, we must recognize the Blessing we have in receiving this second
chance at a new life in Jesus Christ! We should recognize that according to
scripture, we are of a very fortunate few called to travel on “the narrow road” to “the narrow gate”, to spend Eternity with Jesus! Scripture tells
us clearly that only a few will hear the words, “well done, good and Faithful servant”. We will find many along our journey who
profess to Know The Lord, but don’t Love Him to the point of being willing to
fulfill John 14:15, and will hear the words in, Matthew 7:22-24, Many will say
to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in
your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then
I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Very few alcoholics and addicts find sobriety in
a world filled with false teaching and preaching! Even fewer get a second
chance to be Saved and Sober. Will you be one of those few to take advantage of that chance
and show Jesus that you Love Him as He Loves you?
NOTES
DAY 39
MENTORING (FELLOWSHIP)
Mentoring, or having fellowship with our brothers and
sisters in Christ, especially those who are struggling with addictions as we
once did, is crucial to our Faith, and our own walk with Jesus, as well as our
own sobriety! It is also a crucial responsibility to those who look to us for
advice, counseling, and encouragement. We are all called to share the Gospel
with others, and lead them to Christ, but we must be fully matured and humbled
to be qualified to show a hardened addict the nature of his sinful behavior,
past, present, and future! That calling includes the correcting of those who
have been mislead by false teaching and doctrine which is so prevalent in the
addiction recovery field today! If The Lord has shown us our faults and
shortcomings, and revealed to us His Truth regarding the deception that the
devil has used to keep us in the bondage of addictions, it is our
responsibility to share that Truth with our brothers and sisters in recovery. 1 Corinthians 9:23, I do all this for the sake of the
gospel, that I may share in its blessings. As Christians in
addiction recovery, our mentoring of others really becomes the gift of
discipleship and teaching others what God has already taught us to share with
others. Acts 11:29, The disciples, as each one was able, decided to
provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. Ephesians
4:11-12 So Christ
himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, the pastors and teachers. 12 For the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ:
In secular addiction recovery
sobriety is the only thing at stake, and the only responsibility of the mentor.
In Christian addiction recovery, Salvation and sharing God’s Truth, which will
lead to sobriety and Eternal Life is
at stake and is our responsibility as mentors! We can count on God to lead us
in our discipleship role only if we ourselves maintain a close personal
relationship with Him, and seek His guidance and direction
through His Word, and through prayer, whenever we don’t have the answers. Proverbs 15:14, The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. Proverbs 18:15, The heart of the discerning acquires
knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out. 1 Peter 3:15, But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on mentoring others!
DAY 39
MENTORING (FELLOWSHIP)
A good mentor is
a good listener and encourager.
We know that we are Born Again and Saved and Sober when all we want to do in life is to reach
out and share God’s Good News of Salvation with others who are lost and
struggling with the same sins that He delivered us from! It can be a difficult
and challenging task dealing with alcoholics and addicts who are in total
denial of their sin and addictions, but no one is better equipped for such a
mission than us. The fact that we’ve survived our addictions puts us in a
perfect place to offer others the encouragement that they need to see that
there is Hope in Christ! The fact that we’ve “been there, done that”, gives us
the credibility that many are seeking. Next to our personal relationship with
God, our best weapon against satan and relapse, is a good mentor and fellowship
with others. We need strong Christian mentors early in our recovery to help us
stay close to Jesus, who will ultimately keep us on track until we become
qualified to mentor others ourselves. John 14:15 tells us that if we Love Jesus, we will obey His
commands, one of which is in Matthew 28 that instructs us to share His Good News with
others, and “if” we Love Him,
we will be happy to “pick up our cross and follow Him,” and obey Him. 2Tim.1:1-2, Eph.4:11-13, Phil.1:6-7,
Col.1:12, 1Thes.2:8, 2Thes.2:14, Heb.3:14, 13:16
NOTES
DAY 40
THE END AND
A NEW BEGINNING
May tomorrow
be the beginning of a new life without the sin of drunkenness ruling and
ruining it!
As we finish our 40 Days in the Wilderness journey, we
can start a new beginning on this trek through life with a whole new
perspective. We can start tomorrow knowing God Loves us, and has a very special
plan for our lives! A plan that does not include addictions and the multitude
of negative consequences that accompany them! Instead, God’s desire for our
lives is for us to seek Him, listen to Him, wait on Him, and to follow Him, so
that He may lead us “unto greener pastures”. (Psalm 23:2) When we first chose to use drugs and alcohol to
escape from the Truth and reality of the life God had given us, we began
drifting further and further away from God. Yet, as in the parable of the lost
son, (Luke 15),
God has never left us, nor forsaken us, (Hebrews 13:5),
nor been so far from us as not to be able to hear our pleas. He’s been waiting
for you to reach out to Him as you’ve been doing over these past 40 days, seeking
His guidance in your life. It is our prayer that over these past 40 Days in the
Wilderness, God’s Holy Spirit has filled you with a clear perspective of where
you’ve been, where you are, and where God wants you to be, and what you need to
do to get there! Traveling through this life hand in hand with Jesus Christ as
our guide, and doing things His way and according to what we know is His will
for us, allows Him to lead us and Bless us. We will quickly notice that the
minute we turn from Him and try to do something our way, we will get lost, and
it won’t get done! With God, we can
do “all things”, (Philippians 4:13), without Him, we can do
nothing! Deuteronomy
9:11 (KJV) “And it came
to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me
the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.” Philippians
4:13 (KJV) I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
MAY YOUR LAST RELAPSE, BE YOUR LAST RELAPSE!
CORRESPONDING DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDIES
Additional
scripture, commentary, and notes on sharing the Gospel!
DAY 40
THE END AND
A NEW BEGINNING
May tomorrow
be the beginning of a new life without the sin of drunkenness ruling and
ruining it!
Let’s read together Matthew 4:1-11. We’ve now been 40 Days in The Wilderness
tempted by the devil! Tomorrow, we will be tempted again! But we now know how
to “say no”! We need to learn to say exactly what Jesus said to him each and
every time he tempts us, “for it is written”, followed with, “away from me
satan”! “For it is written, “worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only”!
When Jesus left the wilderness He began to preach “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is near”! Now it’s our turn to take up our cross and follow Him, and
share His Good News with the rest of the world! Mat.4:19, Luke 9:23, John 14:15
The easiest way to stay Saved and Sober and keep the devil at bay, is to “Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
MAKE YOUR LAST
RELAPSE, BE YOUR LAST RELAPSE!
NOTES
GRADUATION DAY!
CONGRATULATIONS!
PRAISE THE LORD!
You’ve survived 40 Days in the
Wilderness!
As we graduate from this program and go forward in our
new lives, Saved and
Sober, let us
never forget to Praise and thank Jesus each and every day for His Amazing
Grace, that Saved wretches like us! And let us remember to share this awesome
news with all who cross our paths! Let us also go forward Saved and Sober,
filled with the confidence of the Holy Spirit, “Seeking ye first The Kingdom of
God”, and listening always for the words, “Well done, my good and Faithful Servant”! Please share this Good News with your brothers and
sisters who also need to be Saved and Sober!
CONCLUSION
As we go forward, SAVED AND SOBER, serving Jesus in His Love and Truth,
diligently, and vigilantly, let us remember where we’ve come from, where we
are, and where we’re going “if”
we don’t take our eyes off of Jesus, and keep following Him! He promises us Eternity
and a blessed life “if” we
keep His commandments! He also promises us trials, tribulations, and
temptations along the way to keep us humble and close to Him. There will be
many evil workers of the devil trying to draw you away with every imaginable
form of deception you can think of! Having survived 40 Days in the Wilderness,
being tempted relentlessly by satan to give up and give in to keep following
him to hell via addictions and other sin, is a huge accomplishment, only
achieved through the Love, Mercy, and Grace of an awesome God! A powerful God
who has shared that power with you through your Faith and determination to win
this battle! A Loving God who sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,
on The Cross, so that He could reside in our Hearts to guide us through not
only these 40 days, but for the rest of our lives. Just as Jesus survived for
40 Days in the Wilderness, having accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, gives us
the same power and wisdom that He has to defeat the enemy “if” we continue to
keep our eyes on Him, follow Him, and reach out and cry out to Him for guidance
whenever our trials become burdensome. To accomplish this we must stay in His
Word and in Prayer to keep the line of communications open. We must stay in
close fellowship with Him and other like-minded Christians, while serving Him
by sharing His Good News with the many lost sheep who need it as badly as we
once did! We must live our lives daily seeking to hear His words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”!
“Go ye therefore” back into the wilderness of the darkness of
the addictions that you have conquered and left behind, through The Grace of
God, sharing The Good News of your Savior, Jesus Christ, who has “set you free”! We are called to be “fishers” of the lost, of whom there are fewer “more” lost than those addicted to
drugs and alcohol, and in total denial of it!
NOTES
