October 30, 2023 • 51 mins
Explore Step 1 in recovery in this inspiring YouTube video. Join Robert as he shares his personal journey of triumph over addiction. Drawing inspiration from the Life Recovery Workbook, this narrative delves deep into recognizing powerlessness over addiction, nurturing humility, and forging a profound spiritual connection.
In this engaging video, Robert offers insightful analysis of key biblical passages and demonstrates their practical application in the context of addiction recovery. He goes further by presenting a series of thought-provoking self-reflection questions, expertly designed to guide you on your own path to recovery.
Don't miss this empowering video that combines personal experience, spiritual wisdom, and practical guidance to help you or someone you know break free from the shackles of addiction. Join us on this transformative journey towards a brighter, healthier future.
QUESTIONS FOR STEP ONE
No-Win Situations Genesis 16:1-15
1. What feelings do I experience as I acknowledge people in my life who have power (such as supervisors, spouse, religious leaders, and sponsors)?
2. What do I try to escape from? What do I feel trapped by?
3. How do I escape my feelings, such as anger, boredom, fatigue, or loneliness?
4. When things do not go my way, or when I am in a no-win situation, what is my reaction (with relationships, work, promotions, kids who question or rebel, traffic, drivers in front of me, people talking on cell phones in public places, financial difficulties, people who hurt or disappoint me, or God, who seems to be silent)?
5. If I could, how would I change my response?
Dangerous Self-Deception Judges 16:1-31
1. What is the longest time I have been able to stop addictive behaviors or using addictive substances?
2. What are some of the reasons I use for starting my behaviors or substance abuse again?
3. What are the things I think I can control? How do I lie to myself, and about what?
4. What is so scary about telling the truth?
5. As I explore powerlessness, what blind spots have I discovered?
6. What are the results of pride in my life?
A Humble Beginning 2 Kings 5:1-15
1. What is the difference between humiliation and humility in my life?
2. How do I regard myself as being a little more important than other people?
3. What makes me think I am in control of anything?
4. How do I try to influence or control God or his representatives?
5. When have I placed expectations on other people or God?
6. When have my attitudes shown that I believe I know better than God?
7. Why is it difficult for me to follow another’s instructions?
Hope Amidst Suffering Job 6:2-13
1. What kind of people do I hang around with and trust—people who criticize, or people who encourage truth?
2. What emotions can I identify when I am at the bottom?
3. What have I done in the past to deal with pain or sadness?
Like Little Children Mark 10:13-16
1. What happened in the past that still provokes fear in me today?
2. When do I feel the most cared for?
3. What do I see in my life that reveals God’s care for me?
A Time to Choose Acts 9:1-9
1. When I continue to pursue my own agenda without asking God for direction, what happens in my life?
2. Are there areas of my life in which God may have to use extreme measures before I will listen for direction? Which areas?
3. What will it take for me to listen to God?
The Paradox of Powerlessness 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
1. These are examples of when I have demonstrated acceptance of my own powerlessness and God’s powerfulness:
2. How do I respond to trouble?
3. How do I respond to being perplexed?
4. What do I do when it seems that God or someone else has abandoned me?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Welcome to Set Free 24 seven.
My name is Robert.
I am so glad that you're here today.
We are going through the LifeRecovery Workbook and this workbook
is about transformation from deathto life from addiction to recovery.
It's about walking humbly,righteously and mercifully with God
while accepting and doing his will.
(00:24):
In our compulsions and addictions
we've opposed God's will by hurtingourselves, our bodies and our loved ones.
We've been separated fromGod and from other people.
The 12 steps are a path to finding thathumble walk that leads us out of self
centeredness and closer to God's heart.
We're going to be examining the 12steps individually to consider the
(00:46):
challenging spiritual lessons that allowus to live free of bondage every day.
And each step will have a new task for us.
But none of the stepsis meant to stand alone.
For successful recovery theyare meant to be worked in order.
Each step prepares us for thenext one as we develop greater
humility and openness to God.
(01:08):
Although the path of recoveryinvolves hard and sometimes painful
work, it's worth the effort.
God will meet us on this pathas we become willing to take
each step toward a new life.
As we apply ourselves, we lose our oldcoping mechanism of excessive consumption
and experience spiritual growth.
(01:28):
Honesty, humility, and courageare the components of the vital
faith that can allow us to faceany circumstance, difficulty, or
feeling with grace and strength.
Please remember that working thesesteps is an art, not a formula.
Most often, it's reallyan individualized process.
(01:48):
So God be with you on this journey.
We pray that you will find healing,serenity and peace of mind.
Join us as we begin.
Step number one.
(02:09):
Hey guys, here we are.
Step number one.
I have done the 12 steps a fewtimes, a little bit about me.
I am 13 years sober right now.
Meth, cocaine crack.
I mean, I've done it.
All and all of the bad behaviorsthat go along with it did five years
in prison, got released in 2015.
And now I just have a passionto help people that are trying
(02:32):
to get their life together.
Encourage them along the way.
Be there as a person that justdoesn't judge them but just meets you
right where you're at just to giveyou a little bit of encouragement.
So a few months ago I saw this ad on theinternet for a life recovery Bible and
I've seen some of these floating around.
And they even had alife recovery workbook.
(02:54):
I thought, you know what?
I'm going to take a look at this becauseI've done some other Christian AA
type things with Celebrate Recovery.
I've done AA.
I've done NA.
All of those things are great.
So I just wanted to seewhat is their take on this.
So this is honestly my firsttime going through this.
And I just wanted to be able to sharethis journey with someone else that may
(03:14):
be going through some of the same things.
So I am starting out here inthe life recovery workbook.
Each one of these podcasts is goingto be focusing on one of the steps
that's in there and I'll be readingthrough what's in the workbook
and then going through some of thequestions and stuff afterwards.
So here we go.
This is going to be step number one here.
(03:35):
It starts out, it says, after 17years of partying and drinking,
Barry decided that the only wayto handle life was to stay drunk.
For the past year, he had keptan iced case of beer in the
trunk of his car at all times.
He couldn't understand why his wifewanted a divorce, why his kids were
distant and angry with him, or why hislife was always so chaotic and stressful.
(04:00):
He had made repeated attempts to controlevents, his wife's behavior, his kids,
and his job, but he always ended upin a crisis after a heated, tumultuous
argument that left him feeling bitter.
Drinking was the only way for himto de stress and find composure.
(04:21):
One night after Barry had been drinkingall afternoon and into the evening, his
wife became fed up with his disappearinginto the bottle, and she contemptuously
announced that she was leaving him.
Though the particulars of thefight were hazy to him, Barry woke
up the next day full of shame.
His pain, loneliness, andaggravation became unbearable.
(04:45):
Life with alcohol, it justdidn't seem worth continuing.
But he wasn't sure that hewas able to live without it.
His previous attempts to quit had lefthim restless, irritable, and disgruntled.
With a beer in one hand, Hecalled Alcoholics Anonymous
Hotline looking for help.
(05:07):
They told him that there was hope andrecommended that he attend some meetings.
When Barry arrived at his firstmeeting, the chairman asked
for the topic to be step one.
We admitted that we were powerlessover alcohol and that our
lives had become unmanageable.
As members shared their experiences,Barry was stunned to identify
(05:30):
with most of their stories.
He began to recognize his powerlessnessover alcohol, and that by continually
using alcohol to seek relief, he hadallowed his life to become unmanageable.
He understood their stories of painfulexperiences while under the influence.
And the resulting hopelessness.
(05:51):
His other amazing discovery wasthat others in the room were not
only sober, but they were content.
Recovery seemed like apositive option instead of the
drudgery that he had imagined.
Barry learned that powerlessness didnot mean helplessness, and that he could
(06:11):
take actions such as attending meetings,having a sponsor, reading recovery
literature, and drawing close to God ashe took action on what he was able to do.
He could admit his powerlessnessover alcohol after he had been
sober for a while and workedthrough the subsequent steps.
(06:31):
His overall life did improve.
Barry learned that he was powerlessover more than just alcohol and that
the consequences of his years ofdrinking were not magically removed.
The relationship with his wife fellapart because drinking had caused
her so much pain that the bondbetween them had been destroyed.
(06:53):
His children continued to holdresentments toward him and his
relationships with them were compromised.
However, to stay sober, Barry had toaccept his powerlessness over their
responses and had to accept responsibilityfor his behaviors that had provoked them.
(07:13):
The recovery journey beginswhen we confront the very
first word in step one, we.
This immediately challenges thatloner isolationist that's inside of
us when we are in our addictions anddependent on people and substances.
Although we would be more comfortablewith the word I and would prefer to
(07:38):
get better alone, only we can recover.
The 12 step program guides us intocommunity, where all are involved, all
are a part of each other's recovery.
The 12 steps are workedand lived in a group.
Independence is deadly for any addict.
(08:01):
Actually, spiritual transformationfor anyone begins in community.
When Jesus began hisministry, He created a group.
When we look at the church inthe book of Acts, we find groups
meeting in homes, living in openand honest community appears to
be necessary for spiritual growth.
(08:23):
We have to accept help from others inorder to recover from whatever addiction
or codependency issues that we have.
The next words are, weadmitted we were powerless.
Admitting that something or someonehas beaten us and is more powerful than
our own will, that confronts our pride.
(08:46):
So we keep on acting out in ourdependency and our addiction,
trying to prove that we can
control it.
By attending meetings and listeningto other people's stories.
We become more open to thepossibility of recovery.
Our pride must be shattered a little bitat a time because we will not recover
(09:08):
without an admission of powerlessness.
Our very human nature rebels at the ideaof powerlessness, which signifies our
inability to escape our life of dependencyand addiction on our own strength.
We must let go of image seekingand pride and tell the truth
(09:29):
about our demoralized condition.
Step one contains a potent paradox.
By telling the truth about our completepowerlessness over addiction, we
receive the power of choice in return.
To jump into recovery waters withboth feet, we must go even deeper.
(09:51):
Not only must we admit and accept ourpowerlessness over our dependencies
and addiction, but we must also concedethat our lives are unmanageable.
This strikes a second blow to ourpride and our self sufficiency.
When under the influence ofaddictive thinking, a person
(10:12):
believes, I can handle anything.
I can fix this by myself withoutanyone else having to be involved.
We have wanted others to believethat we have it all together
and we are self contained.
We continue in this delusion that thereshould be something that we can do on
our own, especially to clean up our ownlives and our own mess that we made.
(10:38):
However, addiction leads us toinefficiency on our jobs, dissatisfaction
in our relationships, And quite often to asense that life is just not worth living.
Our emotional pain underscores the realityof our inability to manage our lives.
Our loner pull myself up by thebootstraps mentality must give
(11:01):
way to joining the we of recovery.
We have to be rid of the just Jesusand me belief system that leads
to more isolation and more shame.
When we realize that even God isin community, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, we become aware ofthe fact that human beings were
(11:23):
created to be connected to others.
The rebel within us must now get offthe throne long enough to accept the
need for help from both God and others.
Then, we will find that God is willingto meet us in our unmanageable lives.
The meditations for step one includesome examples from scripture of people
(11:45):
that are struggling with powerlessness.
Naaman, he had a position andpower in the military that
blinded him to his powerlessness.
The reference here is2 Kings 5 verses 1 15.
He began to demand things fromlife, thinking that he was
special because of his position.
(12:07):
We may do this as well,both at work and at home.
We may have an inflated sense ofimportance because of our ministry.
We may demand things from our familiesor our co workers based on Our way.
Like Naaman, we will find that thistype of pride that resists input and
(12:28):
direction from others Leads to isolation.
Only God can deal with thisrebellion in our hearts.
The consequences of addiction aresometimes the only way by which
God can break through to us.
Sometimes we arrive at thepowerlessness and unmanageability
by losing everything, as Job did.
(12:50):
Being in recovery and trying towalk a spiritual path does not mean
that we will be spared our shareof snags and obstacles in life.
In these times, recovery can appearto be hopeless and not worth the work.
The rebel in us that wants controlwill say to us, This is just too hard.
Your troubles must meanthat God doesn't like you.
(13:13):
And at this point, we need a groupof people to continue pointing
us to God no matter what happens.
We need people in our lifewho will nurture hope even
in the most difficult places.
As we hit bottom and faceour powerlessness over all
of life, we need encouragers.
(13:35):
We need to be reminded of Jesussaying that if you try to hang on
to your life, you will lose it.
But if you give up your lifefor my sake, You will save it.
Luke chapter 9 verse 24.
This is just another way ofdescribing powerlessness.
By exploring our powerlessness, wewill have to confront and oppose
(13:58):
negative ideas that tell us thatbeing powerless means being a victim.
By coming to the end of our own power,we develop enough humility to hear
the voice of God and do His will.
The Apostle Paul, before hisconversion and transformation, when
he was still known as Saul, couldnot explore powerlessness at all.
(14:22):
He was intoxicated by the power that hecould wield, even if it placed him in
opposition to God's plan for his life.
Yet, God pursued Saul.
Despite his power hungry murderousstate of mind to call him to a new
direction, a totally transformed purposeso that he could stop persecuting
(14:47):
the gospel and start preaching it.
God made him totally blind anddependent on others to lead him,
to feed him, and to shelter him.
He had to accept powerlessness andunmanageability in order to be used by
God in some powerful and amazing ways.
We must also first accept ourpowerlessness and inability to manage
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before we can be freed from addictionand become a channel for God in
ways that we could never imagine.
We are so schooled in the thought thatwe can do anything we put our minds to
that it's almost impossible to envisionthe power of God in us doing what we
have not been able to do to this point.
(15:33):
God in us, shining through human vessels,gives us the ability to recover, to
accept powerlessness, unmanageability.
We are then open to a life powered byGod rather than by our dependencies,
our addictions, or our fallible selves.
(15:54):
When God's power lives in us, we can bepressed by troubles, perplexed by life.
and haunted by our addictions ordependencies, and at the same time
experience peace in trouble, hope inthose perplexing situations, and a
lifting of the compulsion to act out.
(16:14):
When we admit our powerlessness,God's power flows in to fill us and
to accomplish what we could never do.
(16:36):
All right.
This next section here will be thequestions that we're going to go
through for each of the 12 steps.
So this will be for step number one.
I'm going to have all of the questionswritten in the description of this video.
So please feel free to look at that,copy it, pull it over to a word doc.
And go through some of these on your own.
(16:57):
This would be a really good opportunityfor you to start unpacking some
things that may be in your life.
I'm going to be doing this as well,and I'll be reading the scripture
references for each of these sections.
So this first section istitled no win situations.
And the chapter and verse here isGenesis chapter 16 verses one through 15.
(17:18):
And I am going to be readingout of the life recovery Bible.
So this is the exact.
Bible that comes with thisworkbook and we'll go from there.
So so chapter 16 here of Genesisverses one through 15, this is
titled the birth of Ishmael.
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not beenable to bear children for him, but she
(17:40):
had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
So Sarai said to Abram, the Lord hasprevented me from having children.
Go and sleep with my servant.
Perhaps I can have children through her.
And Abram agreed to Sarai's proposal.
So Sarai, Abram's wife, tookHagar, the Egyptian servant,
and gave her to Abram as a wife.
(18:01):
This happened ten years after Abramhad settled in the land of Canaan.
So Abram had sexual relations withHagar, and she became pregnant.
But when Hagar knew that she waspregnant, she began to treat her
mistress, Sarai, with contempt.
Then Sarai said to Abram,This is all your fault.
I put my servant into your arms,but now that she's pregnant,
(18:24):
she treats me with contempt.
The Lord will show who's wrong, you or me.
Abram replied, Look, she is yourservant, so deal with her as you see fit.
Then Sarai treated Hagar soharshly that she finally ran away.
The angel of the Lord found Hagar besidea spring of water in the wilderness,
(18:46):
along the road to Shur, The angel said toher, Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have
you come from and where are you going?
I'm running away from mymistress, Sarai, she replied.
The angel of the Lord said toher, return to your mistress
and submit to her authority.
Then he added, I will give you moredescendants than you can count.
(19:11):
And the angel also said, you are nowpregnant and will give birth to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael,which means God hears.
For the Lord has heardyour cry of distress.
This son of yours will be a wildman, as untamed as a wild donkey.
He will raise his fist against everyoneand everyone will be against him.
(19:34):
Yes.
He will live in open hostilityagainst all his relatives.
Thereafter, Hagar used another name torefer to the Lord who had spoken to her.
She said, You are the God who sees me.
She also said, Have I trulyseen the one who sees me?
So that well was named Bir Laha Roi whichmeans well of the living one who sees me.
(20:01):
It can still be foundbetween Kadesh and Bered.
So Hagar gave Abram a son,and Abram named him Ishmael.
Abram was 86 years oldwhen Ishmael was born.
Now for the questions that areinvolved with that section of
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scripture, what feelings do youexperience as you acknowledge
people in your life who have power?
This can be like supervisors.
Spouses, religiousleaders, maybe sponsors.
So what feelings do you experienceas you acknowledge people
in your life who have power?
(20:45):
What do you try to escape from?
What do you feel trapped by?
What things are you trying to escapefrom and what do you feel trapped by?
How do you escape your feelingssuch as anger or boredom?
(21:09):
Maybe fatigue.
How do you escape loneliness?
What kind of things are you doingto escape your feelings of anger,
boredom, fatigue, or loneliness?
(21:29):
When things don't go your wayor when you're in a no win
situation, what is your reaction?
This can be with relationships,maybe work related.
Promotions, kids who constantlyquestion you or are rebellious,
(21:51):
maybe traffic, those crazy driversin front of you, maybe people talking
on cell phones in public places.
I know finances are tightfor some people right now.
How about financial difficulties?
(22:12):
How about people whohurt or disappoint you?
What is your reaction whenthings don't go your way?
In these situations, what about whenGod seems distant, what's your reaction?
(22:34):
If you could, how couldyou change your response?
So if you could, how wouldyou change your response when
things are not going your way?
(22:55):
Okay, this next section is dangerous selfdeception and the scripture reading for it
is Judges chapter 16 verses 1 through 31.
One day Samson went to thePhilistine town of Gaza and spent
the night with a prostitute.
(23:15):
Word soon spread that Samson was there,so the men of Gaza gathered together
and waited all night at the town gates.
They kept quiet during the night,saying to themselves when the light
of morning comes, We will kill him.
But Samson stayed inbed only until midnight.
Then he got up, took hold of the doorsof the town gate, including the two
(23:36):
posts, and lifted them up, bar and all.
He put them on his shoulders andcarried them all the way to the top
of the hill, across from the Hebron.
Sometime later, Samson fell inlove with a woman named Delilah.
Who lived in the valley of Sorek therulers of the Philistines went to her
and said entice Samson to tell youwhat makes him so strong and how he can
(24:01):
be overpowered and tied up securely.
Then each of us will giveyou 1, 100 pieces of silver.
So Delilah said to Samson, please tellme what makes you so strong and what
it would take to tie you up securely.
Samson replied, if I were tied upwith seven new bow strings that
(24:23):
would not have yet been dried, Iwould become as weak as anyone else.
So the Philistine rulers broughtDelilah seven new bowstrings,
and she tied Samson up with them.
She had hidden some men in oneof the inner rooms of her house,
and she cried out, Samson, thePhilistines have come to capture you.
(24:44):
But Samson snapped thosebowstrings as a piece of string
snaps when it's burned by a fire.
So the secret of hisstrength was not discovered.
Afterward, Delilah said to him, You'vebeen making fun of me and telling me lies.
Now please, just tell me howyou can be tied up securely.
Samson replied, if I were tied up withbrand new ropes that have never been used,
(25:08):
I would become as weak as anyone else.
So Delilah took new ropesand tied him up with them.
The men were again hiding inthe inner room just as before.
And as Delilah cried out, Samson, theFelistins have come to capture you.
But again, Samson just snappedthose ropes from his arms.
As if they were thread.
(25:31):
Then Delilah said, You've beenmaking fun of me and telling me lies.
Now tell me how you canbe tied up securely.
Samson replied, If you were to weavethe seven braids of my hair into
the fabric on your loom and thentighten it with the loom shuttle, I
would become as weak as anyone else.
So, while he slept, Delilah wove theseven braids of his hair into the fabric.
(25:56):
Then she tightened itwith the loom shuttle.
And again she cried out, Samson, theFelistins have come to capture you.
But Samson woke up, pulled the loomshuttle back, and yanked his hair
away from the loom and the fabric.
Then Delilah passed.
Pouted, how can you tell methat I love you when you don't
(26:16):
share your secrets with me?
You've made fun of me three timesnow, and you still haven't told me.
What makes you so strong?
She tormented him with hernagging day after day until
he was sick to death of it.
Finally, Samson shared hissecret with her my hair.
Has never been cut, he confessed,for I was dedicated to God
(26:39):
as a Nazirite from birth.
If my head were shaved, my strengthwould leave me, and I would
become as weak as anyone else.
Delilah realized he had finallytold her the truth, so she
sent for the Philistine rulers.
Come back one more time, she said,for he has finally told me his secret.
(27:01):
So the Philistine rulers returnedwith the money in their hands.
Delilah lulled Samson to sleepwith his head on her lap, and
then she called in a man to shaveoff the seven locks of his hair.
In this way she began to bring himdown, and his strength left him.
Then she cried out, Samson, thePhilistines have come to capture you.
(27:24):
When he woke up, he thought, I will do asI've done before and shake myself free.
But he didn't realize thatthe Lord had left him.
So the Philistines capturedhim and gouged out his eyes.
They took him to Gaza, where he wasbound with the bronze chains and
forced to grind grain in the prison.
(27:44):
But before long, Hishair began to grow back.
The Philistine rulers held agreat festival offering sacrifices
and praising their God Dagon.
They said, our God has given usa victory over our enemy, Samson.
When the people saw him, theypraised their God saying, our God
has delivered our enemy to us.
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The one who killed so many of usis now in our power half drunk.
By now, the people demanded bringout Samson so that he can amuse us.
So, he was brought from the prison toamuse them, and they had him stand in
between the pillars supporting the roof.
Samson said to the young servantwho was leading him by the hand,
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Place my hands against thesepillars that hold up the temple.
I want to rest against them.
Now the temple was completelyfilled with people.
All of the Philistine rulers were there.
And there were around 3, 000 menand women on the roof who were
watching as Samson amused them.
Then Samson prayed to the Lord,Sovereign Lord, remember me again, O God.
(28:55):
Please strengthen me just one more time.
With one blow, let me pay back thePhilistines for the loss of my two eyes.
And then Samson put his hands on the twocenter pillars that held up the temple,
pushing against them with both hands.
He prayed, let me die with the Philistinesand the temple crashed down over the
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Philistine rulers and all of the people.
So, he killed more people when he diedthan he had during his entire lifetime.
Later, his brothers and otherrelatives went down to get his body.
They took him back home and theyburied him between Zorah and Eshtael,
where his father, Manoah, was buried.
(29:40):
Samson had judged Israel for 20 years.
The questions that go along with thissection are What is the longest time that
you've been able to stop your addictivebehaviors or using addictive substances?
So what is the longest time that you'vebeen able to stop those behaviors or
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maybe just the using of the substances?
What are some of the reasons thatyou use to start your behaviors
or the substance abuse again?
So what are some of thoseexcuses that you tell yourself?
Some of those reasons that you have,what are the things in your life
(30:26):
that you think you can control?
How is it that you lie to yourself,and what about, what is it
that you lie to yourself about?
What is so scary about telling the truth?
(30:50):
What is so scary about telling the truth?
As you explore powerlessness, whatblind spots have you discovered?
So as you start to think aboutpowerlessness, admitting that you're
powerless over something, what blind spotsin your life have started to come forward?
(31:19):
And lastly, what are theresults of pride in your life?
What are the results of pride?
This next section is titled A HumbleBeginning, and the chapter and verse
will be 2 Kings 5, verses 1 15.
(31:42):
So that's 2 Kings 5, verses 1 15.
The king of Aram had great admirationfor Naaman, the commander of his army.
Because through him, the Lordhad given Aram great victories,
but though Naaman was a mightywarrior, he suffered from leprosy.
(32:03):
At this time, Aramean raiders hadinvaded the land of Israel, and among
their captives was a young girl who hadbeen given to Naaman's wife as a maid.
One day the girl said to hermistress, I wish my master would
go and see the prophet in Samaria,he would heal him of his leprosy.
So Naaman told the king of what theyoung girl from Israel had said.
(32:26):
Go and visit the prophet,the king of Aram told him.
I will send a letter of introductionfor you to take to the king of Israel.
So Naaman started out carrying asgifts 750 pounds of silver, 150
pounds of gold, 10 sets of clothing.
I mean, this letter to the kingof Israel said, With this letter,
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I present my servant Naaman.
I want you to heal him of his leprosy.
When the king of Israel read theletter, he tore his clothes and
dismay and said, am I God that Ican give life and take it away?
Why is this man asking me toheal someone with leprosy?
I can see that he's justtrying to pick a fight with me.
(33:13):
But when Elisha, the man of God,heard that the king of Israel had torn
his clothes in dismay, he sent him amessage, saying, Why are you so upset?
Send Naaman to me, and he will learn thatthere is a true prophet here in Israel.
So Naaman went with his horsesand chariots and waited at
the door of Elisha's house.
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But Elisha sent a messenger out to himwith this message, Go and wash yourself
seven times in the Jordan River.
Then your skin will be restored andyou will be healed of your leprosy.
But Naaman He becameangry and stalked away.
I thought he would certainlycome out to meet me.
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I expected him to wave his hand overthe leprosy and call on the name
of the Lord his God and heal me.
Aren't the rivers of Damascus, theAbana, and the Pharpar sorry if I'm
butchering this here better thanany of these rivers here in Israel?
Why shouldn't I washin them and be healed?
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So Naaman turned and went away in rage.
But his officers tried to reason withhim and said, Sir, if the prophet
had told you to do something verydifficult, wouldn't you have done it?
So you should certainly obey him when hesays simply, Go and wash and be cured.
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So Naaman went down to the JordanRiver, dipped himself seven times
as the man of God had instructedhim, And his skin became as healthy
as the skin of a young child.
And he was healed.
Then Naaman and his entire partywent back to find that man of God.
They stood before him and Naaman said,Now I know that there is no God in
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all of the world except in Israel.
So please accept a gift from your servant.
So the questions that go along with thissection are what is the difference between
humiliation And humility in your life.
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What is the difference betweenhumiliation and humility in your life?
How do you regard yourselfas being a little bit more
important than other people?
How do you regard yourself as being alittle bit more important than others?
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What makes you think thatyou're in control of anything?
What makes you think thatyou're in control of anything?
How do you try toinfluence or control God?
Or how about this other one here?
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How do you try to influence orcontrol God's representatives?
So how do you try to influence orcontrol God or his representatives?
When have you placed expectationson other people or better yet?
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When have you placed expectations on God?
So when have you placed expectations?
When has your attitude shown that youbelieve that you know better than God?
Have you ever had an attitude that, like,Hey, I know my life better than you do.
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I know what I need.
Here's how you need to fix me.
Why is it difficult for you tofollow someone else's instructions?
So why is it difficult to followsomeone else's instructions?
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All right, this next section here isJob chapter 6 verses 2 through 13,
and it's titled Hope Amidst Suffering.
If my misery could be weighedand my troubles could be put on
the scales, they would outweighall of the sands of the sea.
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That is why I spoke impulsively,for the Almighty has struck
me down with his arrows.
Their poison infects my spirit.
God's terrors are lined up against me.
Don't I have a right to complain?
Don't wild donkeys braywhen they find no grass?
An ox and bellow when they have no food?
(38:03):
Don't people complain about unsalted food?
Does anyone want thetasteless white of an egg?
My appetite disappears when I look at it.
I gag at the thought of eating it.
Oh, that I might have my request,that God would grant my desire.
I wish that He would crush me.
I wish He would reachout His hand and kill me.
(38:26):
At least I can take comfort in this.
Despite the pain, I have notdenied the words of the Holy One.
But I don't have the strength to endure.
I have nothing to live for.
Do I have the strength of a stone?
Is my body made of bronze?
No, I am utterly helpless,without any chance of success.
(38:51):
Very powerful stuff there from Job.
The questions that go along withthis section, What kind of people
do you hang around with and trust?
People that are critical and criticizeyou or people who encourage truth?
(39:13):
So, what kind of people do youhang around with and trust?
People who criticize orpeople who encourage truth?
What emotions can you identifywhen you are at the bottom?
Have you been at the bottom?
(39:34):
Are you there now?
What emotions can you identifywhen you're at the bottom?
What have you done in the pastto deal with the pain or sadness?
(39:55):
So, what have you done in the pastto deal with that pain or sadness?
This next section is titled,Like Little Children.
The verse and chapter is Markchapter 10 verses 13 through 16.
(40:15):
One day some parents broughttheir children to Jesus so that
he could touch and bless them.
But the disciples scolded theparents for bothering him.
When Jesus saw what was happening,he was angry with his disciples.
He said to them, Let the childrencome to me, don't stop them.
For the kingdom of God belongs tothose who are like these children.
(40:39):
I tell you the truth, anyone whodoesn't receive the kingdom of God
like a child will never Enter it.
And then he took the children inhis arms, and placed his hands
on their heads, and blessed them.
Okay.
The questions for this sectionare what happened in the past that
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still provokes fear in you today?
So what happened in the past?
I know sometimes those things thathave happened in the past can be
the hardest to start to dig up.
I get it.
What has happened in the past thatstill provokes fear inside of you today?
(41:24):
It's time to start uncoveringsome of those things.
Nothing changes if wedon't change anything.
When do you feel most cared for?
So think about a time when youfeel loved, protected, cared for.
When do you feel the most cared for?
(41:51):
What do you see in your lifethat reveals God's care for you?
So, what do you see in your lifethat reveals God's care for you?
Alright, this next sectionis titled, A Time to Choose.
(42:15):
The chapter and verse is Actschapter 9, verse 1 through 9.
Again, that's Acts 9, verses 1 through 9.
Meanwhile, Saul was utteringthreats with every breath and was
eager to kill the Lord's followers,so he went to the high priest.
He requested letters addressed to thesynagogues in Damascus, asking for their
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cooperation in the arrest of any of thefollowers of the way that he found there.
He wanted to bring them both men andwomen back to Jerusalem in chains.
As he was approaching Damascus onhis mission, a light from heaven
suddenly shone down around him.
He fell to the ground and hearda voice saying to him, Saul,
(43:03):
Saul, why are you persecuting me?
Who are you, Lord?
Saul asked.
And the voice replied, I am Jesus,the one that you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city, andyou will be told what you must do.
(43:24):
The men with Saul stood speechless,for they heard the sound of
someone's voice, but they saw no one.
Saul picked himself up off the ground,but when he opened his eyes, he was blind.
So his companions led him by the handto Damascus, and he remained there blind
for three days and did not eat or drink.
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The questions in this section...
Are when you continue to pursue yourown agenda without asking God for
direction, what happens in your life?
When you continue to pursue yourown agenda without asking God for
direction, what starts to happen?
(44:12):
Are there areas of your life in whichGod may have to use extreme measures
before you listen for direction?
What areas are those?
Are there areas in your life whichGod may have to use extreme measures?
For me, it was sobrietyand going to prison.
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That was an extreme measure, but Ibelieve God allowed that in my life.
To separate me from that longenough to get my head on straight.
So I hope none of you have to experiencethat, but are there areas in your
life in which God has had to useextreme measures before you're going
to start listening for direction?
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What will it take foryou to listen to God?
What's it going to take?
And here we are, this isthe last section here.
This is titled the paradox ofpowerlessness and the reading verse
and chapter is second Corinthianschapter four verses seven through 10.
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All right.
And this says here, we now have thislight shining in our hearts, but
we ourselves are like fragile clayjars containing this great treasure.
This makes it clear that our greatpower is from God and not ourselves.
We are pressed on every side bytroubles, but we are not crushed.
(45:43):
We are perplexed, but weare not driven into despair.
We are hunted down, butnever abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we arenot destroyed through suffering.
Our bodies continue to share in thedeath of Jesus so that the life of
Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
(46:09):
So the questions that go alongwith this next section here.
To begin with, think about exampleswhen you have demonstrated acceptance
of your own powerlessness and thenrecognized God's powerfulness.
So think about some examples rightnow where you have demonstrated
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that acceptance of powerlessness.
And maybe it's something as simple asjust simply listening to this podcast.
It's a step in the right direction.
Maybe it's admitting maybe I shouldget a little help with something.
How do you respond to trouble whenyou have trouble in your life?
(46:53):
What is your knee jerk reaction?
How do you respond to trouble?
How do you respond to being perplexed?
So think about somethingthat may just stump you.
What's the process that you gothrough when something perplexes you?
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What do you do when it seems that Godor someone else has abandoned you?
You feel like you'rein this boat all alone.
The weather's a little crazyand you're being knocked around.
When you feel abandoned out in themiddle of that ocean, what do you do
(47:43):
when it seems that God has abandoned you?
Or maybe this is afriend or family member.
Maybe it's a spouse.
Maybe it's a child.
Maybe it's a grandchild.
So what do you do when youexperience those feelings?
(48:08):
And friends, that is step number one,nothing's going to change overnight,
but I can guarantee you if you've madeit this far, if you have found this
podcast and you said, you know what?
I want to see what this is all about.
What is this recovery stuff?
What is it built on?
Maybe you've done the 12 steps.
(48:28):
Maybe you've done a, a, N a, maybeyou've done celebrate recovery.
I've done all those things too.
I just happened to come acrossthis life recovery Bible and
the life recovery workbook here.
And I thought, you know what?
It's never a bad time to putmore tools in my tool belt.
So I encourage you if you're justlistening to this for the first time,
(48:52):
Maybe our paths have crossed and Imentioned it to you and now you're
checking it out If you're on that journeyof sobriety and you're trying to get some
stuff figured out in life I don't carewhere you're at on the journey if it's one
day A thousand days, 10 years, 50 years.
You can always put sometools in that tool belt.
(49:15):
Maybe the tools that are in yourtool belt are a little rusty
and you need to sharpen them.
I know it's always good to makesure you do some tool maintenance.
So friends, that's all I have for today.
I'm going to have my contact informationinside of the description of this.
If you need to reach out to somebodyor talk to somebody about going through
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some of these 12 steps, I would behappy to have a conversation with you.
So don't hesitate to reach out.
We are not meant to do this journey alone.
I can guarantee you one of the secretsto my success that I will happily tell
everybody is that when I got out of prisonin 2015, one of the things that I changed.
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Was connecting with people in a realmanner, like really, really doing
community with people being transparent,being accountable to some people.
And that's what began to changethings for me in my life.
So I don't think I have it all figuredout, but I do know I'm here 13 years later
(50:17):
and I still haven't put a needle in my armor a smoked crack or any of those other
crazy things that I was doing, and I'llget into some more of that as we go along.
But for now, at this point in the journey,it's enough to just admit that you're
powerless over something and that youwant to do something to change that.
(50:39):
So I encourage you for being here today.
Thanks for sharing just alittle bit of your day with me.
And again, if you need to reachout for anything, I'd be happy
to have a conversation with you.
Be blessed and be ablessing wherever you're at.
Have a great day.
Welcome to Set Free 24 seven.
My name is Robert.
I am so glad that you're here today.
We are going through the LifeRecovery Workbook and this workbook
is about transformation from deathto life from addiction to recovery.
It's about walking humbly,righteously and mercifully with God
while accepting and doing his will.
(00:24):
In our compulsions and addictions
we've opposed God's will by hurtingourselves, our bodies and our loved ones.
We've been separated fromGod and from other people.
The 12 steps are a path to finding thathumble walk that leads us out of self
centeredness and closer to God's heart.
We're going to be examining the 12steps individually to consider the
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challenging spiritual lessons that allowus to live free of bondage every day.
And each step will have a new task for us.
But none of the stepsis meant to stand alone.
For successful recovery theyare meant to be worked in order.
Each step prepares us for thenext one as we develop greater
humility and openness to God.
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Although the path of recoveryinvolves hard and sometimes painful
work, it's worth the effort.
God will meet us on this pathas we become willing to take
each step toward a new life.
As we apply ourselves, we lose our oldcoping mechanism of excessive consumption
and experience spiritual growth.
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Honesty, humility, and courageare the components of the vital
faith that can allow us to faceany circumstance, difficulty, or
feeling with grace and strength.
Please remember that working thesesteps is an art, not a formula.
Most often, it's reallyan individualized process.
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So God be with you on this journey.
We pray that you will find healing,serenity and peace of mind.
Join us as we begin.
Step number one.
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Hey guys, here we are.
Step number one.
I have done the 12 steps a fewtimes, a little bit about me.
I am 13 years sober right now.
Meth, cocaine crack.
I mean, I've done it.
All and all of the bad behaviorsthat go along with it did five years
in prison, got released in 2015.
And now I just have a passionto help people that are trying
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to get their life together.
Encourage them along the way.
Be there as a person that justdoesn't judge them but just meets you
right where you're at just to giveyou a little bit of encouragement.
So a few months ago I saw this ad on theinternet for a life recovery Bible and
I've seen some of these floating around.
And they even had alife recovery workbook.
(02:54):
I thought, you know what?
I'm going to take a look at this becauseI've done some other Christian AA
type things with Celebrate Recovery.
I've done AA.
I've done NA.
All of those things are great.
So I just wanted to seewhat is their take on this.
So this is honestly my firsttime going through this.
And I just wanted to be able to sharethis journey with someone else that may
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be going through some of the same things.
So I am starting out here inthe life recovery workbook.
Each one of these podcasts is goingto be focusing on one of the steps
that's in there and I'll be readingthrough what's in the workbook
and then going through some of thequestions and stuff afterwards.
So here we go.
This is going to be step number one here.
(03:35):
It starts out, it says, after 17years of partying and drinking,
Barry decided that the only wayto handle life was to stay drunk.
For the past year, he had keptan iced case of beer in the
trunk of his car at all times.
He couldn't understand why his wifewanted a divorce, why his kids were
distant and angry with him, or why hislife was always so chaotic and stressful.
(04:00):
He had made repeated attempts to controlevents, his wife's behavior, his kids,
and his job, but he always ended upin a crisis after a heated, tumultuous
argument that left him feeling bitter.
Drinking was the only way for himto de stress and find composure.
(04:21):
One night after Barry had been drinkingall afternoon and into the evening, his
wife became fed up with his disappearinginto the bottle, and she contemptuously
announced that she was leaving him.
Though the particulars of thefight were hazy to him, Barry woke
up the next day full of shame.
His pain, loneliness, andaggravation became unbearable.
(04:45):
Life with alcohol, it justdidn't seem worth continuing.
But he wasn't sure that hewas able to live without it.
His previous attempts to quit had lefthim restless, irritable, and disgruntled.
With a beer in one hand, Hecalled Alcoholics Anonymous
Hotline looking for help.
(05:07):
They told him that there was hope andrecommended that he attend some meetings.
When Barry arrived at his firstmeeting, the chairman asked
for the topic to be step one.
We admitted that we were powerlessover alcohol and that our
lives had become unmanageable.
As members shared their experiences,Barry was stunned to identify
(05:30):
with most of their stories.
He began to recognize his powerlessnessover alcohol, and that by continually
using alcohol to seek relief, he hadallowed his life to become unmanageable.
He understood their stories of painfulexperiences while under the influence.
And the resulting hopelessness.
(05:51):
His other amazing discovery wasthat others in the room were not
only sober, but they were content.
Recovery seemed like apositive option instead of the
drudgery that he had imagined.
Barry learned that powerlessness didnot mean helplessness, and that he could
(06:11):
take actions such as attending meetings,having a sponsor, reading recovery
literature, and drawing close to God ashe took action on what he was able to do.
He could admit his powerlessnessover alcohol after he had been
sober for a while and workedthrough the subsequent steps.
(06:31):
His overall life did improve.
Barry learned that he was powerlessover more than just alcohol and that
the consequences of his years ofdrinking were not magically removed.
The relationship with his wife fellapart because drinking had caused
her so much pain that the bondbetween them had been destroyed.
(06:53):
His children continued to holdresentments toward him and his
relationships with them were compromised.
However, to stay sober, Barry had toaccept his powerlessness over their
responses and had to accept responsibilityfor his behaviors that had provoked them.
(07:13):
The recovery journey beginswhen we confront the very
first word in step one, we.
This immediately challenges thatloner isolationist that's inside of
us when we are in our addictions anddependent on people and substances.
Although we would be more comfortablewith the word I and would prefer to
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get better alone, only we can recover.
The 12 step program guides us intocommunity, where all are involved, all
are a part of each other's recovery.
The 12 steps are workedand lived in a group.
Independence is deadly for any addict.
(08:01):
Actually, spiritual transformationfor anyone begins in community.
When Jesus began hisministry, He created a group.
When we look at the church inthe book of Acts, we find groups
meeting in homes, living in openand honest community appears to
be necessary for spiritual growth.
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We have to accept help from others inorder to recover from whatever addiction
or codependency issues that we have.
The next words are, weadmitted we were powerless.
Admitting that something or someonehas beaten us and is more powerful than
our own will, that confronts our pride.
(08:46):
So we keep on acting out in ourdependency and our addiction,
trying to prove that we can
control it.
By attending meetings and listeningto other people's stories.
We become more open to thepossibility of recovery.
Our pride must be shattered a little bitat a time because we will not recover
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without an admission of powerlessness.
Our very human nature rebels at the ideaof powerlessness, which signifies our
inability to escape our life of dependencyand addiction on our own strength.
We must let go of image seekingand pride and tell the truth
(09:29):
about our demoralized condition.
Step one contains a potent paradox.
By telling the truth about our completepowerlessness over addiction, we
receive the power of choice in return.
To jump into recovery waters withboth feet, we must go even deeper.
(09:51):
Not only must we admit and accept ourpowerlessness over our dependencies
and addiction, but we must also concedethat our lives are unmanageable.
This strikes a second blow to ourpride and our self sufficiency.
When under the influence ofaddictive thinking, a person
(10:12):
believes, I can handle anything.
I can fix this by myself withoutanyone else having to be involved.
We have wanted others to believethat we have it all together
and we are self contained.
We continue in this delusion that thereshould be something that we can do on
our own, especially to clean up our ownlives and our own mess that we made.
(10:38):
However, addiction leads us toinefficiency on our jobs, dissatisfaction
in our relationships, And quite often to asense that life is just not worth living.
Our emotional pain underscores the realityof our inability to manage our lives.
Our loner pull myself up by thebootstraps mentality must give
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way to joining the we of recovery.
We have to be rid of the just Jesusand me belief system that leads
to more isolation and more shame.
When we realize that even God isin community, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, we become aware ofthe fact that human beings were
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created to be connected to others.
The rebel within us must now get offthe throne long enough to accept the
need for help from both God and others.
Then, we will find that God is willingto meet us in our unmanageable lives.
The meditations for step one includesome examples from scripture of people
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that are struggling with powerlessness.
Naaman, he had a position andpower in the military that
blinded him to his powerlessness.
The reference here is2 Kings 5 verses 1 15.
He began to demand things fromlife, thinking that he was
special because of his position.
(12:07):
We may do this as well,both at work and at home.
We may have an inflated sense ofimportance because of our ministry.
We may demand things from our familiesor our co workers based on Our way.
Like Naaman, we will find that thistype of pride that resists input and
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direction from others Leads to isolation.
Only God can deal with thisrebellion in our hearts.
The consequences of addiction aresometimes the only way by which
God can break through to us.
Sometimes we arrive at thepowerlessness and unmanageability
by losing everything, as Job did.
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Being in recovery and trying towalk a spiritual path does not mean
that we will be spared our shareof snags and obstacles in life.
In these times, recovery can appearto be hopeless and not worth the work.
The rebel in us that wants controlwill say to us, This is just too hard.
Your troubles must meanthat God doesn't like you.
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And at this point, we need a groupof people to continue pointing
us to God no matter what happens.
We need people in our lifewho will nurture hope even
in the most difficult places.
As we hit bottom and faceour powerlessness over all
of life, we need encouragers.
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We need to be reminded of Jesussaying that if you try to hang on
to your life, you will lose it.
But if you give up your lifefor my sake, You will save it.
Luke chapter 9 verse 24.
This is just another way ofdescribing powerlessness.
By exploring our powerlessness, wewill have to confront and oppose
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negative ideas that tell us thatbeing powerless means being a victim.
By coming to the end of our own power,we develop enough humility to hear
the voice of God and do His will.
The Apostle Paul, before hisconversion and transformation, when
he was still known as Saul, couldnot explore powerlessness at all.
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He was intoxicated by the power that hecould wield, even if it placed him in
opposition to God's plan for his life.
Yet, God pursued Saul.
Despite his power hungry murderousstate of mind to call him to a new
direction, a totally transformed purposeso that he could stop persecuting
(14:47):
the gospel and start preaching it.
God made him totally blind anddependent on others to lead him,
to feed him, and to shelter him.
He had to accept powerlessness andunmanageability in order to be used by
God in some powerful and amazing ways.
We must also first accept ourpowerlessness and inability to manage
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before we can be freed from addictionand become a channel for God in
ways that we could never imagine.
We are so schooled in the thought thatwe can do anything we put our minds to
that it's almost impossible to envisionthe power of God in us doing what we
have not been able to do to this point.
(15:33):
God in us, shining through human vessels,gives us the ability to recover, to
accept powerlessness, unmanageability.
We are then open to a life powered byGod rather than by our dependencies,
our addictions, or our fallible selves.
(15:54):
When God's power lives in us, we can bepressed by troubles, perplexed by life.
and haunted by our addictions ordependencies, and at the same time
experience peace in trouble, hope inthose perplexing situations, and a
lifting of the compulsion to act out.
(16:14):
When we admit our powerlessness,God's power flows in to fill us and
to accomplish what we could never do.
(16:36):
All right.
This next section here will be thequestions that we're going to go
through for each of the 12 steps.
So this will be for step number one.
I'm going to have all of the questionswritten in the description of this video.
So please feel free to look at that,copy it, pull it over to a word doc.
And go through some of these on your own.
(16:57):
This would be a really good opportunityfor you to start unpacking some
things that may be in your life.
I'm going to be doing this as well,and I'll be reading the scripture
references for each of these sections.
So this first section istitled no win situations.
And the chapter and verse here isGenesis chapter 16 verses one through 15.
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And I am going to be readingout of the life recovery Bible.
So this is the exact.
Bible that comes with thisworkbook and we'll go from there.
So so chapter 16 here of Genesisverses one through 15, this is
titled the birth of Ishmael.
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not beenable to bear children for him, but she
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had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
So Sarai said to Abram, the Lord hasprevented me from having children.
Go and sleep with my servant.
Perhaps I can have children through her.
And Abram agreed to Sarai's proposal.
So Sarai, Abram's wife, tookHagar, the Egyptian servant,
and gave her to Abram as a wife.
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This happened ten years after Abramhad settled in the land of Canaan.
So Abram had sexual relations withHagar, and she became pregnant.
But when Hagar knew that she waspregnant, she began to treat her
mistress, Sarai, with contempt.
Then Sarai said to Abram,This is all your fault.
I put my servant into your arms,but now that she's pregnant,
(18:24):
she treats me with contempt.
The Lord will show who's wrong, you or me.
Abram replied, Look, she is yourservant, so deal with her as you see fit.
Then Sarai treated Hagar soharshly that she finally ran away.
The angel of the Lord found Hagar besidea spring of water in the wilderness,
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along the road to Shur, The angel said toher, Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have
you come from and where are you going?
I'm running away from mymistress, Sarai, she replied.
The angel of the Lord said toher, return to your mistress
and submit to her authority.
Then he added, I will give you moredescendants than you can count.
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And the angel also said, you are nowpregnant and will give birth to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael,which means God hears.
For the Lord has heardyour cry of distress.
This son of yours will be a wildman, as untamed as a wild donkey.
He will raise his fist against everyoneand everyone will be against him.
(19:34):
Yes.
He will live in open hostilityagainst all his relatives.
Thereafter, Hagar used another name torefer to the Lord who had spoken to her.
She said, You are the God who sees me.
She also said, Have I trulyseen the one who sees me?
So that well was named Bir Laha Roi whichmeans well of the living one who sees me.
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It can still be foundbetween Kadesh and Bered.
So Hagar gave Abram a son,and Abram named him Ishmael.
Abram was 86 years oldwhen Ishmael was born.
Now for the questions that areinvolved with that section of
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scripture, what feelings do youexperience as you acknowledge
people in your life who have power?
This can be like supervisors.
Spouses, religiousleaders, maybe sponsors.
So what feelings do you experienceas you acknowledge people
in your life who have power?
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What do you try to escape from?
What do you feel trapped by?
What things are you trying to escapefrom and what do you feel trapped by?
How do you escape your feelingssuch as anger or boredom?
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Maybe fatigue.
How do you escape loneliness?
What kind of things are you doingto escape your feelings of anger,
boredom, fatigue, or loneliness?
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When things don't go your wayor when you're in a no win
situation, what is your reaction?
This can be with relationships,maybe work related.
Promotions, kids who constantlyquestion you or are rebellious,
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maybe traffic, those crazy driversin front of you, maybe people talking
on cell phones in public places.
I know finances are tightfor some people right now.
How about financial difficulties?
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How about people whohurt or disappoint you?
What is your reaction whenthings don't go your way?
In these situations, what about whenGod seems distant, what's your reaction?
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If you could, how couldyou change your response?
So if you could, how wouldyou change your response when
things are not going your way?
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Okay, this next section is dangerous selfdeception and the scripture reading for it
is Judges chapter 16 verses 1 through 31.
One day Samson went to thePhilistine town of Gaza and spent
the night with a prostitute.
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Word soon spread that Samson was there,so the men of Gaza gathered together
and waited all night at the town gates.
They kept quiet during the night,saying to themselves when the light
of morning comes, We will kill him.
But Samson stayed inbed only until midnight.
Then he got up, took hold of the doorsof the town gate, including the two
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posts, and lifted them up, bar and all.
He put them on his shoulders andcarried them all the way to the top
of the hill, across from the Hebron.
Sometime later, Samson fell inlove with a woman named Delilah.
Who lived in the valley of Sorek therulers of the Philistines went to her
and said entice Samson to tell youwhat makes him so strong and how he can
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be overpowered and tied up securely.
Then each of us will giveyou 1, 100 pieces of silver.
So Delilah said to Samson, please tellme what makes you so strong and what
it would take to tie you up securely.
Samson replied, if I were tied upwith seven new bow strings that
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would not have yet been dried, Iwould become as weak as anyone else.
So the Philistine rulers broughtDelilah seven new bowstrings,
and she tied Samson up with them.
She had hidden some men in oneof the inner rooms of her house,
and she cried out, Samson, thePhilistines have come to capture you.
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But Samson snapped thosebowstrings as a piece of string
snaps when it's burned by a fire.
So the secret of hisstrength was not discovered.
Afterward, Delilah said to him, You'vebeen making fun of me and telling me lies.
Now please, just tell me howyou can be tied up securely.
Samson replied, if I were tied up withbrand new ropes that have never been used,
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I would become as weak as anyone else.
So Delilah took new ropesand tied him up with them.
The men were again hiding inthe inner room just as before.
And as Delilah cried out, Samson, theFelistins have come to capture you.
But again, Samson just snappedthose ropes from his arms.
As if they were thread.
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Then Delilah said, You've beenmaking fun of me and telling me lies.
Now tell me how you canbe tied up securely.
Samson replied, If you were to weavethe seven braids of my hair into
the fabric on your loom and thentighten it with the loom shuttle, I
would become as weak as anyone else.
So, while he slept, Delilah wove theseven braids of his hair into the fabric.
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Then she tightened itwith the loom shuttle.
And again she cried out, Samson, theFelistins have come to capture you.
But Samson woke up, pulled the loomshuttle back, and yanked his hair
away from the loom and the fabric.
Then Delilah passed.
Pouted, how can you tell methat I love you when you don't
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share your secrets with me?
You've made fun of me three timesnow, and you still haven't told me.
What makes you so strong?
She tormented him with hernagging day after day until
he was sick to death of it.
Finally, Samson shared hissecret with her my hair.
Has never been cut, he confessed,for I was dedicated to God
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as a Nazirite from birth.
If my head were shaved, my strengthwould leave me, and I would
become as weak as anyone else.
Delilah realized he had finallytold her the truth, so she
sent for the Philistine rulers.
Come back one more time, she said,for he has finally told me his secret.
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So the Philistine rulers returnedwith the money in their hands.
Delilah lulled Samson to sleepwith his head on her lap, and
then she called in a man to shaveoff the seven locks of his hair.
In this way she began to bring himdown, and his strength left him.
Then she cried out, Samson, thePhilistines have come to capture you.
(27:24):
When he woke up, he thought, I will do asI've done before and shake myself free.
But he didn't realize thatthe Lord had left him.
So the Philistines capturedhim and gouged out his eyes.
They took him to Gaza, where he wasbound with the bronze chains and
forced to grind grain in the prison.
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But before long, Hishair began to grow back.
The Philistine rulers held agreat festival offering sacrifices
and praising their God Dagon.
They said, our God has given usa victory over our enemy, Samson.
When the people saw him, theypraised their God saying, our God
has delivered our enemy to us.
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The one who killed so many of usis now in our power half drunk.
By now, the people demanded bringout Samson so that he can amuse us.
So, he was brought from the prison toamuse them, and they had him stand in
between the pillars supporting the roof.
Samson said to the young servantwho was leading him by the hand,
(28:30):
Place my hands against thesepillars that hold up the temple.
I want to rest against them.
Now the temple was completelyfilled with people.
All of the Philistine rulers were there.
And there were around 3, 000 menand women on the roof who were
watching as Samson amused them.
Then Samson prayed to the Lord,Sovereign Lord, remember me again, O God.
(28:55):
Please strengthen me just one more time.
With one blow, let me pay back thePhilistines for the loss of my two eyes.
And then Samson put his hands on the twocenter pillars that held up the temple,
pushing against them with both hands.
He prayed, let me die with the Philistinesand the temple crashed down over the
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Philistine rulers and all of the people.
So, he killed more people when he diedthan he had during his entire lifetime.
Later, his brothers and otherrelatives went down to get his body.
They took him back home and theyburied him between Zorah and Eshtael,
where his father, Manoah, was buried.
(29:40):
Samson had judged Israel for 20 years.
The questions that go along with thissection are What is the longest time that
you've been able to stop your addictivebehaviors or using addictive substances?
So what is the longest time that you'vebeen able to stop those behaviors or
(30:03):
maybe just the using of the substances?
What are some of the reasons thatyou use to start your behaviors
or the substance abuse again?
So what are some of thoseexcuses that you tell yourself?
Some of those reasons that you have,what are the things in your life
(30:26):
that you think you can control?
How is it that you lie to yourself,and what about, what is it
that you lie to yourself about?
What is so scary about telling the truth?
(30:50):
What is so scary about telling the truth?
As you explore powerlessness, whatblind spots have you discovered?
So as you start to think aboutpowerlessness, admitting that you're
powerless over something, what blind spotsin your life have started to come forward?
(31:19):
And lastly, what are theresults of pride in your life?
What are the results of pride?
This next section is titled A HumbleBeginning, and the chapter and verse
will be 2 Kings 5, verses 1 15.
(31:42):
So that's 2 Kings 5, verses 1 15.
The king of Aram had great admirationfor Naaman, the commander of his army.
Because through him, the Lordhad given Aram great victories,
but though Naaman was a mightywarrior, he suffered from leprosy.
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At this time, Aramean raiders hadinvaded the land of Israel, and among
their captives was a young girl who hadbeen given to Naaman's wife as a maid.
One day the girl said to hermistress, I wish my master would
go and see the prophet in Samaria,he would heal him of his leprosy.
So Naaman told the king of what theyoung girl from Israel had said.
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Go and visit the prophet,the king of Aram told him.
I will send a letter of introductionfor you to take to the king of Israel.
So Naaman started out carrying asgifts 750 pounds of silver, 150
pounds of gold, 10 sets of clothing.
I mean, this letter to the kingof Israel said, With this letter,
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I present my servant Naaman.
I want you to heal him of his leprosy.
When the king of Israel read theletter, he tore his clothes and
dismay and said, am I God that Ican give life and take it away?
Why is this man asking me toheal someone with leprosy?
I can see that he's justtrying to pick a fight with me.
(33:13):
But when Elisha, the man of God,heard that the king of Israel had torn
his clothes in dismay, he sent him amessage, saying, Why are you so upset?
Send Naaman to me, and he will learn thatthere is a true prophet here in Israel.
So Naaman went with his horsesand chariots and waited at
the door of Elisha's house.
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But Elisha sent a messenger out to himwith this message, Go and wash yourself
seven times in the Jordan River.
Then your skin will be restored andyou will be healed of your leprosy.
But Naaman He becameangry and stalked away.
I thought he would certainlycome out to meet me.
(33:56):
I expected him to wave his hand overthe leprosy and call on the name
of the Lord his God and heal me.
Aren't the rivers of Damascus, theAbana, and the Pharpar sorry if I'm
butchering this here better thanany of these rivers here in Israel?
Why shouldn't I washin them and be healed?
(34:16):
So Naaman turned and went away in rage.
But his officers tried to reason withhim and said, Sir, if the prophet
had told you to do something verydifficult, wouldn't you have done it?
So you should certainly obey him when hesays simply, Go and wash and be cured.
(34:36):
So Naaman went down to the JordanRiver, dipped himself seven times
as the man of God had instructedhim, And his skin became as healthy
as the skin of a young child.
And he was healed.
Then Naaman and his entire partywent back to find that man of God.
They stood before him and Naaman said,Now I know that there is no God in
(35:01):
all of the world except in Israel.
So please accept a gift from your servant.
So the questions that go along with thissection are what is the difference between
humiliation And humility in your life.
(35:21):
What is the difference betweenhumiliation and humility in your life?
How do you regard yourselfas being a little bit more
important than other people?
How do you regard yourself as being alittle bit more important than others?
(35:49):
What makes you think thatyou're in control of anything?
What makes you think thatyou're in control of anything?
How do you try toinfluence or control God?
Or how about this other one here?
(36:10):
How do you try to influence orcontrol God's representatives?
So how do you try to influence orcontrol God or his representatives?
When have you placed expectationson other people or better yet?
(36:31):
When have you placed expectations on God?
So when have you placed expectations?
When has your attitude shown that youbelieve that you know better than God?
Have you ever had an attitude that, like,Hey, I know my life better than you do.
(36:55):
I know what I need.
Here's how you need to fix me.
Why is it difficult for you tofollow someone else's instructions?
So why is it difficult to followsomeone else's instructions?
(37:18):
All right, this next section here isJob chapter 6 verses 2 through 13,
and it's titled Hope Amidst Suffering.
If my misery could be weighedand my troubles could be put on
the scales, they would outweighall of the sands of the sea.
(37:42):
That is why I spoke impulsively,for the Almighty has struck
me down with his arrows.
Their poison infects my spirit.
God's terrors are lined up against me.
Don't I have a right to complain?
Don't wild donkeys braywhen they find no grass?
An ox and bellow when they have no food?
(38:03):
Don't people complain about unsalted food?
Does anyone want thetasteless white of an egg?
My appetite disappears when I look at it.
I gag at the thought of eating it.
Oh, that I might have my request,that God would grant my desire.
I wish that He would crush me.
I wish He would reachout His hand and kill me.
(38:26):
At least I can take comfort in this.
Despite the pain, I have notdenied the words of the Holy One.
But I don't have the strength to endure.
I have nothing to live for.
Do I have the strength of a stone?
Is my body made of bronze?
No, I am utterly helpless,without any chance of success.
(38:51):
Very powerful stuff there from Job.
The questions that go along withthis section, What kind of people
do you hang around with and trust?
People that are critical and criticizeyou or people who encourage truth?
(39:13):
So, what kind of people do youhang around with and trust?
People who criticize orpeople who encourage truth?
What emotions can you identifywhen you are at the bottom?
Have you been at the bottom?
(39:34):
Are you there now?
What emotions can you identifywhen you're at the bottom?
What have you done in the pastto deal with the pain or sadness?
(39:55):
So, what have you done in the pastto deal with that pain or sadness?
This next section is titled,Like Little Children.
The verse and chapter is Markchapter 10 verses 13 through 16.
(40:15):
One day some parents broughttheir children to Jesus so that
he could touch and bless them.
But the disciples scolded theparents for bothering him.
When Jesus saw what was happening,he was angry with his disciples.
He said to them, Let the childrencome to me, don't stop them.
For the kingdom of God belongs tothose who are like these children.
(40:39):
I tell you the truth, anyone whodoesn't receive the kingdom of God
like a child will never Enter it.
And then he took the children inhis arms, and placed his hands
on their heads, and blessed them.
Okay.
The questions for this sectionare what happened in the past that
(41:02):
still provokes fear in you today?
So what happened in the past?
I know sometimes those things thathave happened in the past can be
the hardest to start to dig up.
I get it.
What has happened in the past thatstill provokes fear inside of you today?
(41:24):
It's time to start uncoveringsome of those things.
Nothing changes if wedon't change anything.
When do you feel most cared for?
So think about a time when youfeel loved, protected, cared for.
When do you feel the most cared for?
(41:51):
What do you see in your lifethat reveals God's care for you?
So, what do you see in your lifethat reveals God's care for you?
Alright, this next sectionis titled, A Time to Choose.
(42:15):
The chapter and verse is Actschapter 9, verse 1 through 9.
Again, that's Acts 9, verses 1 through 9.
Meanwhile, Saul was utteringthreats with every breath and was
eager to kill the Lord's followers,so he went to the high priest.
He requested letters addressed to thesynagogues in Damascus, asking for their
(42:39):
cooperation in the arrest of any of thefollowers of the way that he found there.
He wanted to bring them both men andwomen back to Jerusalem in chains.
As he was approaching Damascus onhis mission, a light from heaven
suddenly shone down around him.
He fell to the ground and hearda voice saying to him, Saul,
(43:03):
Saul, why are you persecuting me?
Who are you, Lord?
Saul asked.
And the voice replied, I am Jesus,the one that you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city, andyou will be told what you must do.
(43:24):
The men with Saul stood speechless,for they heard the sound of
someone's voice, but they saw no one.
Saul picked himself up off the ground,but when he opened his eyes, he was blind.
So his companions led him by the handto Damascus, and he remained there blind
for three days and did not eat or drink.
(43:49):
The questions in this section...
Are when you continue to pursue yourown agenda without asking God for
direction, what happens in your life?
When you continue to pursue yourown agenda without asking God for
direction, what starts to happen?
(44:12):
Are there areas of your life in whichGod may have to use extreme measures
before you listen for direction?
What areas are those?
Are there areas in your life whichGod may have to use extreme measures?
For me, it was sobrietyand going to prison.
(44:36):
That was an extreme measure, but Ibelieve God allowed that in my life.
To separate me from that longenough to get my head on straight.
So I hope none of you have to experiencethat, but are there areas in your
life in which God has had to useextreme measures before you're going
to start listening for direction?
(45:00):
What will it take foryou to listen to God?
What's it going to take?
And here we are, this isthe last section here.
This is titled the paradox ofpowerlessness and the reading verse
and chapter is second Corinthianschapter four verses seven through 10.
(45:21):
All right.
And this says here, we now have thislight shining in our hearts, but
we ourselves are like fragile clayjars containing this great treasure.
This makes it clear that our greatpower is from God and not ourselves.
We are pressed on every side bytroubles, but we are not crushed.
(45:43):
We are perplexed, but weare not driven into despair.
We are hunted down, butnever abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we arenot destroyed through suffering.
Our bodies continue to share in thedeath of Jesus so that the life of
Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
(46:09):
So the questions that go alongwith this next section here.
To begin with, think about exampleswhen you have demonstrated acceptance
of your own powerlessness and thenrecognized God's powerfulness.
So think about some examples rightnow where you have demonstrated
(46:31):
that acceptance of powerlessness.
And maybe it's something as simple asjust simply listening to this podcast.
It's a step in the right direction.
Maybe it's admitting maybe I shouldget a little help with something.
How do you respond to trouble whenyou have trouble in your life?
(46:53):
What is your knee jerk reaction?
How do you respond to trouble?
How do you respond to being perplexed?
So think about somethingthat may just stump you.
What's the process that you gothrough when something perplexes you?
(47:19):
What do you do when it seems that Godor someone else has abandoned you?
You feel like you'rein this boat all alone.
The weather's a little crazyand you're being knocked around.
When you feel abandoned out in themiddle of that ocean, what do you do
(47:43):
when it seems that God has abandoned you?
Or maybe this is afriend or family member.
Maybe it's a spouse.
Maybe it's a child.
Maybe it's a grandchild.
So what do you do when youexperience those feelings?
(48:08):
And friends, that is step number one,nothing's going to change overnight,
but I can guarantee you if you've madeit this far, if you have found this
podcast and you said, you know what?
I want to see what this is all about.
What is this recovery stuff?
What is it built on?
Maybe you've done the 12 steps.
(48:28):
Maybe you've done a, a, N a, maybeyou've done celebrate recovery.
I've done all those things too.
I just happened to come acrossthis life recovery Bible and
the life recovery workbook here.
And I thought, you know what?
It's never a bad time to putmore tools in my tool belt.
So I encourage you if you're justlistening to this for the first time,
(48:52):
Maybe our paths have crossed and Imentioned it to you and now you're
checking it out If you're on that journeyof sobriety and you're trying to get some
stuff figured out in life I don't carewhere you're at on the journey if it's one
day A thousand days, 10 years, 50 years.
You can always put sometools in that tool belt.
(49:15):
Maybe the tools that are in yourtool belt are a little rusty
and you need to sharpen them.
I know it's always good to makesure you do some tool maintenance.
So friends, that's all I have for today.
I'm going to have my contact informationinside of the description of this.
If you need to reach out to somebodyor talk to somebody about going through
(49:36):
some of these 12 steps, I would behappy to have a conversation with you.
So don't hesitate to reach out.
We are not meant to do this journey alone.
I can guarantee you one of the secretsto my success that I will happily tell
everybody is that when I got out of prisonin 2015, one of the things that I changed.
(49:57):
Was connecting with people in a realmanner, like really, really doing
community with people being transparent,being accountable to some people.
And that's what began to changethings for me in my life.
So I don't think I have it all figuredout, but I do know I'm here 13 years later
(50:17):
and I still haven't put a needle in my armor a smoked crack or any of those other
crazy things that I was doing, and I'llget into some more of that as we go along.
But for now, at this point in the journey,it's enough to just admit that you're
powerless over something and that youwant to do something to change that.
(50:39):
So I encourage you for being here today.
Thanks for sharing just alittle bit of your day with me.
And again, if you need to reachout for anything, I'd be happy
to have a conversation with you.
Be blessed and be ablessing wherever you're at.
Have a great day.
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