Book 03 Letting Go.pdf

THE PURITY PROJECT OF OKLAHOMA CITY PRESENTS

LETTING GO MENTORING AND RECOVERY SERIES, WORKBOOK 3

By David Lowry, Ph.D.

Letting Go is the third in a series of nine study manuals designed to assist those enrolled in faith-based

recovery programs. These lessons were produced for the Purity Project by Dr. David N. Lowry.

Copyright © 2009 David Lowry. All rights reserved. reserved. Other Workbooks in this series: 1. Admitting Need 2. Getting Help 3. Letting Go

4. Coming Clean 5. Making Changes 6. New Attitudes 7. Repairing Relationships 8. Maintaining Momentum 9. Recycling Pain

The Purity Project of Oklahoma City —http://www.purityprojectokc.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............iii Introduction To Book 3........................................ ...................................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .................... ......vii Celebrate Recovery's 8 Principles............................. ........................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ....................... .........viii The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous .......................... ......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ......................... ........... ix Lesson 21 Consciously Choose ............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 1 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 1 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 3 Joshua 24:15-16 (New International Version) ......................... ....................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 3 Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified Bible) ............................... ............................................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ....................... ........ 3 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 4 The Good News! Part 1 ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 4 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 4 Lesson 22 Commitment..................................... ................................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 5 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 5 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 7 Isaiah 26:3 (Amplified Bible) ............................. ........................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ............................ ............... .. 7 Proverbs 3:5............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 7 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 8 The Good News! Part 2 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ .................. .... 8 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 8 Lesson 23 Everything I Have ..................................... ................................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 9 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 9 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 11 Psalm 84:12 (New International Version)........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 11 Proverbs 29:25 (Amplified Bible) .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ....................... ......... 11 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 12 iii

The Good News! Part 3 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 12 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 12 Lesson 24 My Will or His? .................. ................................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 13 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 13 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 15 Acts 2:36-40 (New International Version) ............................... ............................................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 15 Proverbs 2:9-11 (New International Version)............................ ........................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ................ .. 15 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 16 The Good News! Part 4 ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 16 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 16 Lesson 25 My Burden is Light ................................... ................................................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 17 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 17 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 19 Matthew 11: 29-30 (New International Version) ............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 19 Proverbs 21:3 (New International Version) ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 19 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 20 The Good News! Part 5 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 20 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 20 Lesson 26 What is Meekness? ....................... ..................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 21 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 21 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 23 A definition of meekness from Romans 12 ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 23 Psalm 37:11 (New International Version)........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 23 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 24 The Good News! Part 6 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 24 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 24 Lesson 27 Mercy!............................. ........................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ....................... ......... 25

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Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 25 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 27 Mark 5:19 (New International Version) ................ .............................. ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 27 Proverbs 28:13 (New International Version) .................... .................................. ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 27 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 28 The Good News! Part 7 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 28 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 28 Lesson 28 Living Sacrifaces ..................................... ................................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 29 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 29 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 31 Mark 12:32-34 1 2:32-34 (New International Version) ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 31 Proverbs 15:8 (New International Version) ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 31 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 32 The Good News! Part 8 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 32 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 32 Lesson 29 Holy and Pleasing ............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 33 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 33 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 35 Matthew 5:8 (New International Version) ........................................ ...................................................... ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 35 Proverbs 9:10 (New International Version) ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 35 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 36 The Good News! Part 9 ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 36 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 36 Lesson 30 Your Spiritual Act of Worship ............................ ........................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 37 Step Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 37 Scripture Reflection ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ................... ..... 39 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (New International Version).......................... ......................................... ............................. ............................ ....................... ......... 39

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Proverbs 14:30 (New International Version) .................... .................................. ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 39 Recovery Wisdom ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 40 The Good News! Part 10 ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 40 Recovery Reading ........................... .......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 40 APPENDIXES .......................... ......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... 41 APPENDIX 1: Prayers of Surrender .................................... .................................................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 42 APPENDIX 2: Discipleship Is the Best Form of Accountability ................................ .............................................. ............................ ................... ..... 43 APPENDIX 3: Selected Scriptures for Step 3 ......................................................................................... 47 APPENDIX 4: The Good News Of the Gospel! ...................... .................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 51 Part 1, Who is The higher power? ............................... ............................................. ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ................ .. 51 ......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 52 Part 2, There is a god and I’m Not It! .......................... Part 3, Boundaries and Bulls Eyes.............................. Eyes............................................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ................... .... 53 Part 4, FUBAR becomes Grace! .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. .......................... ........... 54 Part 5, Sitting in the Wheelbarrow ....................... ..................................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ....................... ......... 55 ........................................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ....................... ......... 56 Part 6, The Believer’s Ceremony .......................... Part 7, The Highest Power .................................... .................................................. ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 57 ......................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ....................... ......... 58 Part 8, Make Friends with God’s Children .......................... Part 9, Prayer ............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ....................... ......... 59 Part 10, the Daily Recovery Habit ....................... ..................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .......................... ............ 60

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INTRODUCTION TO BOOK 3 Imagine that you’r e making plans for a vacation. Because you don’t have much money, you

decide that, if you go, you can’t travel very far or stay very long and that the only hotels you could afford would be located on a side of town that is thought to be unsafe. Now imagine while you are making your plans that an old friend, who was very wealthy, suddenly called you up and said, “Hey, I’ve got some first class tickets for an-around- the world cruise that I’d like y ou to have. It won’t cost you anything and you’ll have the time of your life! ” Would you accept the tickets? Or, would you tell your friend that you’ve already made other plans? I believe that most of us would be more than happy to set aside our plans and gratefully accept the tickets from our generous friend. Life works much the same way with our Heavenly Father. God has great plans for you! He ’s ready to take you on the cruise of your life! The only thing is; you must be willing to set aside your plans before you can enjoy the great things God has for you. When we catch a glimpse of the abu ndant life, you’d think we’d readily let go of our old ways of doing things so that we might begin to live a new life of purpose and joy. Sadly, many people continue to hold on to their own painful ways of doing things and miss out on something immeasurably better. The life of recovery is a process of learning how to let go of our plans and accept God ’s plans instead. In this series of lessons, we’ll learn the importance of making the conscious choice to turn our wills and lives over to the care of Christ. Of all the steps in the recovery process, STEP 3 is the most vital. If we do not give our lives over to care of Christ, we will not have the power to make a successful recovery. Remember, our best thinking thinking is what got us where we are today. We need a new power in our lives—something greater than ourselves. The Bible says that Christ stands at the door and knocks. If we let him in to our lives and welcome him in as our friend, he will use his power to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Remember, when we give something up to God, we are not giving up!

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CELEBRATE RECOVERY'S 8 PRINCIPLES

R = REALIZE I'm not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.

E = EARNESTLY believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that He has the power to help me recover. Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

C = CONSCIOUSLY choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control. Happy are the meek.

O = OPENLY examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to another person whom I trust. Happy are the pure in heart.

V = VOLUNTARILY submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask him to remove my character defects. Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.

E = EVALUATE all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others, except when to do so would harm t hem or others. Happy are the merciful. Happy are the peacemakers.

R = RESERVE a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. Y = YIELD myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words. Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.

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THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to t he care of God as we understood God Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to c arry that out Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs

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LESSON 21

CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE Do you remember when when you were first first learning to drive? drive? I do. I can remember having having to think about each time I brought the car to a complete stop. Though it took a little time to coordinate my brain and feet for the breaking distance, it wasn’t long before I was successfully stopping without any thought. thought. The same is true about life. Each day we must make numerous choices —most of which are small and seemingly inconsequential. Over time, our choices become habits; habits; and, our habits can become a part of our unconscious ways of living. “We must learn to live more consciously.” •

Choose Your Thoughts, for they become Words

•

Choose Your Words, for they become Actions

•

Choose Your Actions, for they become Habits

•

Choose Your Habits, for they become Character

•

Choose Your Character, for it becomes Your Destiny

STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE

RECOVERY: STEP 3) Matthew 5:5 “Happy are the meek.”

We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. (Step 3 of the 12 Steps) Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy holy and pleasing to God-God-- this is your spiritual act of worship.”

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Lesson 21

REFLECTION: THE FIRST WORDS OF STEP 3 SAYS, CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE . IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONSCIOUS AND AN UNCONSCIOUS CHOICE? GIVE AN ILLUSTRATION ILLUSTRATION OF EACH FROM YOUR YOUR LIFE. 2. IN YOUR OPINION, WHY DO WE DO SO MANY THINGS UNCONSCIOUSLY? 3. MAKE A LIST OF 7 THINGS IN YOUR DAILY LIFE THAT YOU OFTEN UNCONSCIOUSLY DO THAT HELP YOU AND ANOTHER 7 THINGS THAT DO NOT HELP YOU. 4. LIST FIVE THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT DO TO HELP YOU BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU DO. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 21

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

JOSHUA 24:15-16 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

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Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD

to serve other gods!” gods!”

PROVERBS 16:3 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly t o him; he will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to his will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: WRITE YOUR ANSWSERS IN THE SPACE BELOW. 1. HOW DOES JOSHUA 24: 15-16 APPLY TO YOU? 2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE “ GODS BEYOND THE RIVER ” YOU HAVE SERVED? 3. WHY DO YOU THINK JOSHUA TOLD THE PEOPLE THEY HAD TO MAKE A CHOICE? 4. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WORKS YOU NEED TO “R OL L UPON THE LORD” AS IN PROVERBS 16:3? 5. WHAT IS THE PROMISE IN PROVERBS 16:3? EXPLAIN HOW THIS WILL APPLY APPLY TO YOUR PRESENT LIFE CIRCUMSTANCE. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 21

RECOVERY WISDOM “It’s easy to understand God as long as you don’t try and explain him.”

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ WHAT DOES THIS SAYING MEAN TO YOU? GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT WORKS IN YOUR LIFE.

THE GOOD NEWS! PART 1 GO TO APPENDIX 4 AND AND COMPLETE SECTION 1. FEEL FREE TO WORK AHEAD AHEAD IF TIME PERMITS.

RECOVERY READING 71-83 Life’s Healing Choices; Choice 3 ; Read p. 71-83 IN THE SPACE BELOW, WRITE FIVE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVE D FROM TODAY’S READI NGS. 1. WRITE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE 2. THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 22

LESSON 22

COMMITMENT pig pass by a restaurant restaurant There’s an old joke that goes something like this . A hen and a pig and notice that there’s a half-priced special on ham and and eggs. The hen suggests that they go inside for breakfast. breakfast. The pig replies, “For you this is a minor thing, but for me it requires a total commitment!”

Joking aside, we cannot hope to live a recovered life without making a full commitment. The commitment we are talking about is not a commitment to ourselves but a committed relationship with Jesus Christ. The past commitments we’ve made to ourselves haven’t worked out very well at all! No matter what we’ve we’ve tried, or not tried, we remained enslaved to our

habits. We need a committed relationship relationship with a power greater than ourselves—and that person is the redeemer known as Jesus Christ! Step 3 is more than making a promise to follow Christ; it’s our conscious decision to

create a relationship that involves making good on our promises to follow him with our heart, soul, mind and strength. If we want to be healed, we must follow the doctor’s orders and the same is true as we follow the Great Physician. STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE RECOVERY: STEP 3) Matthew 5:5 Happy are the meek.

We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. (Step 3 of the 12 Steps) Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act act of worship.

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Lesson 22

REFLECTION: STEP 3 STATES, I CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO COMMIT . TODAY, WE WANT TO EXAMINE THE WORDS “TO COMMIT.” IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN “TO COMMIT?” 2. IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT COMMITMENTS? 3. IS THERE SUCH A THING AS UNCONSCIOUS COMMITMENT? WHY OR WHY NOT? 4. LIST AND DESCRIBE SEVEN AR EAS OF COMMITMENT IN YOUR LIFE. 5. IS IT POSSIBLE TO FOLLOW CHRIST WITHOUT MAKING A COMMITMENT? WHY OR WHY NOT? 6. WRITE A SHORT PARAGRAPH STATING YOUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR RECOVERY PROCESS. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 22


ISAIAH 26:3 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) 3

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its

inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

PROVERBS 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. WHAT ARE THE TWO PROMISES MENTIONED IN ISAIAH 26:3? 2. WHAT CONDITION IS PLACED ON THESE PROMISES? 3. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE TWO SCRIPTURES? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 22

RECOVERY WISDOM It's my business to do God's business and it's his business to take care of my business.” business.” “ It's


THE GOOD NEWS! PART 2 GO TO APPENDIX 4 AND AND COMPLETE PART 2. FEEL FREE TO WORK AHEAD IF TIME PERMITS.

RECOVERY READING Life’s Healing Choices, Choice 3 ; please read p. 81 - 86

1. WHERE ARE YOU SPIRITUALLY —IN RELATION TO THE FOUR STEPS MENTIONED ON PAGE 83? 2. HAVE YOU COME TO A PLACE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE WHERE IF YOU WERE TO DIE TONIGHT YOU KNOW THAT YOU WOULD BE SAVED? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 23

LESSON 23

EVERYTHING I HA HAVE VE I remember living in a neighborhood where the house on the corner was overgrown with weeds and junk on the front lawn. I often wondered if anybody lived lived there—because I never saw anyone going in or out of the house. house. Then one day I met the person person who owned the place and I discovered that his house was filled filled with junk from floor to ceiling. There was hardly any room to move around. I remember thinking that this man must be psychologically psychologically ill and that he needed help getting rid of all the junk he had accumulated. Our lives are like that. We have filled them with useless useless ideas, attitudes and behaviors behaviors to the point where our lives are out of control. By ourselves, we cannot clear out all of the junk; but, when we give our lives to Christ and invite him to make his home in our hearts—it won’t be long before we have a clean and orderly home. STEP REFLECTION a nd will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE Consciously choose to commit all my life and

RECOVERY: STEP 3) Matthew 5:5 Happy are the meek.


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Lesson 23

REFLECTION: STEP 3 STATES, I CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO COMMIT ALL MY LIFE . LIFE . TODAY, WE WANT TO EXAMINE THE WORDS “ALL “A LL MY LIFE” LIFE ” IN THE SPACE BELOW:

1. LIST 7 OF THE BIGGEST AREAS OF YOUR LI FE THAT YOU NEED TO CONSCIOUSLY COMMIT TO GOD. 2. READ THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:26 (New Living L iving Translation) Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

3. IS THERE ANYTHING TOO SMALL TO COMMIT TO CHRIST? 4. LIST WHAT YOU THINK ARE 7 SMALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU NEED TO CONSCIOUSLY COMMIT TO GOD. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 23


PSALM 84:12 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

PROVERBS 29:25 (AMPLIF (AMPLIFIED IED BIBLE) 25

The fear of man brings a snare, but w hoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence

in the Lord is safe and set on high.

__________________________ _______________________________________ _______________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: 1. FROM YOUR STUDIES IN THIS SERIES, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE SOME OF THE BLESSINGS THAT COMES TO THOSE WHO TRUST IN GOD? 2. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE PROVERBS 29:25 MEANS? 3. HOW DO THESE SCRIPTURES RELATE TO THE COMMITMENT SPOKEN OF I N STEP 3? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 23

RECOVERY WISDOM God can lead you to living water, but he won’t make you d rink. rink.



RECOVERY READING Life's Healing Choice; Choices; Choice 3; Please read the testimonials on p. 87 - 99 IN THE SPACE BELOW, WRITE THREE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVE D FROM TODAY’S READI NGS. 1. WRITE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE 2. THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 24

LESSON 24

MY WILL OR HIS? An old Cherokee Indian was speaking to his grandson: “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between

two wolves. One is evil – –he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a long minute, and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

The same is true for us. Through the use of our will we decide whether we shall do as we please, and remain in destruction, or commit to Christ and lead a life of deliverance. STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Ch rist’s care and control. (CELEBRATE RECOVERY: STEP 3) Matthew 5:5 Happy are the meek.


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Lesson 24

REFLECTION: STEP TWO SAYS, “CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO COMMIT ALL MY LIFE AND WILL .” TODAY, WE WANT TO LOOK AT T HE WORD “WILL”. HERE ARE THREE DEFINITIONS OF “WILL”AS USED IN STEP 3 :

1. volition: “The capability of conscious choice and decision and intention; " 2. determine by choice; "This action was willed and intended" 3. a fixed and persistent intent or purpose; "Where there's a will there's a way." One of the most precious gifts that God has given us is our will—sometimes called free will — which we may use to make the choices choices we wish for our lives. God, who is all powerful, could impose his will upon us. Instead, he allows us us to choose to follow follow his will or ours. ours. This is a big responsibility for us. IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. LIST FIVE EXAMPLES OF TIMES WHEN YOU’VE US ED YOUR WILL TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE. 2. CAN YOU THINK OF TIM ES WHEN YOU’VE FOLLO WED YOUR WILL INSTEAD OF GOD’S AND TOTALLY ME SSED UP?

3. IN YOUR OPINION, HOW DOES A PERSON DEMONSTRATE THAT THE Y HAVE “COMMITTED THEIR WILL” TO GOD?

USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 24


ACTS 2:36-40 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) 36

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,

both Lord and Christ. 37

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other

apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 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.

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The

promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves

from this corrupt generation."

PROVERBS 2:9-11 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) Then you will understand what is right and just and fair —every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:

The story in Acts 2 describes Peter ’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. When the thousands who were in attendance heard the gospel go spel message, they asked Peter what they they should do. Peter’s response was clear and the bible notes that some 3,000 people were baptized. 1. IN ACTS 2:38, WHAT 2 THINGS DID PETER T ELL THEM TO DO, AND WHAT WERE THE 2 REASONS WHY HE TOLD THEM TO DO THIS? 2. WE DISCUSSED IN LESSON 14 THAT TURNING FROM OUR “WICKED WAYS” IS REPENTANCE. AFTER WE REPENT, WHAT WHAT DO WE WE NEED TO DO NEXT? 3. HAVE YOU BEEN BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS SO THAT YOU MIGHT RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 24

RECOVERY WISDOM

Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayer.



RECOVERY READING A Hunger for Healing; Please read Chapter 4, p. 46-50

WRITE THREE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVED FROM TO DAY’S READINGS. WRI TE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE, THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 25

LESSON 25

MY BURDEN IS LIGHT As a young boy, I used to walk to my elementary school that was about a half mile away. I was a short little guy and played a tenor saxophone. saxophone. The case was almost as big as I was, and it seemed like a heavy load to carry back and forth. I’ve grown much taller and stronger since then, and the horn doesn’t seem to weigh as much as it once did. The same is true in our spiritual spiritual lives. As we go through life, we carry a great many burdens such as making good grades in school, sports, earning a living, raising a family, taking care of our possessions and caring of our elderly parents —to name but a few. But the heaviest heaviest burden of all that we carry is sin. The burden of sin makes makes our lives unmanageable and insane. As we grow in Christian maturity, the loads that once pressed upon us become much lighter as we learn how to give give them to Christ. Christ is the burden burden lifter. When he delivers delivers us from our sins we actually feel as though “a heavy load has been lifted from our backs.”

STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE RECOVERY: STEP 3) Matthew 5:5 Happy are the meek.

We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. (Step 3 of the 12 Steps) Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brother s, s, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act act of worship.

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Lesson 25

REFLECTION: STEP 3 SPEAKS OF: CHRIST’S CARE AND CO NTROL. ” LET’S EXAMINE THIS PHRASE. WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE SPACE SPACE BELOW AND USE THE BACKSIDE OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED MORE ROOM. 1. CHRIST IS DESCRIBED IN THE SCRIPTURES AS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, THE GOOD SHEPHERD, THE LIVING WATER, THE BREAD OF LIFE, AND THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT — TO NAME BUT A FEW. PICK ANY THREE OF THE FIVE TERMS ABOVE AND DESCRIBE (IN A FEW SENTENCES) HOW IT RELATES TO CHRIST’S CARE FOR US.. US 2. IN THE PAST, HOW HAVE YOU VIEWED THE CARE AND CONTROL OF CHRIST? DID YOU ALLOW IT IN YOUR LIFE?

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Lesson 25


MATTHEW 11:29-30 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) 29

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and

you will find rest for your souls.

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For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

PROVERBS 21:3 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) 3

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW, EXPLAIN HOW TODAYS SCRIPTURES RELATES TO STEP 2. 1. A YOKE WAS USED TO LINK OXEN TOGETHER SO THAT THEY MIGHT BOTH WORK TOGETHER. IF WE ARE TO BE YOKED, WHO WILL OUR PARTNER BE? WHAT DO YOU THINK JESUS IS SAYING HER E? 2. WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN WHEN HE SAYS THAT HI S BURDEN IS LIGHT? 3. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE TWO SCRIPTURE VERSES? 4. HOW DO THESE SCRIPTURES RELATE TO STEP 3? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 25

RECOVERY WISDOM

”One person wit h God is always in the majority.”



RECOVERY READING A Hunger for Healing; Please read Chapter 4; p. 50-54 WRITE THREE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVED FROM TO DAY’S READINGS. 1. WRITE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE, 2. THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 26

LESSON 26

WHAT IS MEEKNESS? While I’m not a gambler, one of the things I like most about horse racing is the amazing

beauty and power of these magnificent magnificent creatures. The horses are sleek, sleek, muscled and many times stronger than the men who ride them. them. After training, they become so disciplined disciplined that they respond to the slightest control of the jockey. The same is true in the spiritual spiritual realm. The definition of meekness, as used in the Bible, is a gentleness of spirit that allows one to respond to God’s direction rather than our own. Like sleek and powerful horses, we allow our Lord to

direct our way by giving him control of our will. Jesus was like that. He had all earthly and heavenly heavenly power at his disposal; disposal; yet, he was life. And because of perfectly obedient to God’s direction— even though it would cost him his life. this, God raised him him up. Now it is our turn to learn meekness. meekness. Will we be willing to set aside aside our power and follow the leading of Christ? STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE


We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. (Step 3 of the 12 Steps) Romans 12:1 Therefore, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

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Lesson 26

REFLECTION: WRITE YOUR RESPONSES IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. MATTHEW 5:5 USES THE WORD “MEEK.” THAT WORD IS OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD. WHAT IT REALLY DESCRIBES IS THE QUALITY QUALITY OF A POWERFUL ANIMAL, LIKE A HORSE, THAT ALLOWS ITS RI DER FULL CONTROL. HOW DOES THIS DEFINITION DIFFER FROM WHAT YOU WHAT YOU THOUGHT THIS WORD MEANT? 2. IN VIEW OF THIS DEFINITION, WHAT DOES THE MATT. 5:5 SCRIPTURE MEAN? 3. HOW DOES THIS SCRIPTURE RELATE TO COMMITMENT? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU N EED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 26


A DEFINITION OF MEEKNESS FROM ROMANS 12 Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, Love must be sincere Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wr ath. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil w ith good.

PSALM 37:11 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

___________________________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. WHICH OF THE STATEMENTS IN ROMANS 12 IS T HE MOST DIFFICULT FOR YOU? 2. WHICH THREE STATEMENTS IN ROMANS 12 WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE KNOWN FOR? 3. IN VIEW OF WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED ABOUT MEEKNESS IN ROMANS 12, WHAT DO YOU THINK PSALMS 37:11 MEANS? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 26

RECOVERY WISDOM

Let God’s promises shine on your problems



RECOVERY READING

A Hunger for Healing; Chapter 4, p. 55-57 ANSWER THE QUESTIONS FOUND ON PAGE 56 (GOD AS I UNDERSTAND HIM). USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 27

LESSON 27

MERCY! One evening about a year ago, I was stopped by a policeman for not having a current tag on my car. Due to neglect, my renewal was more than a month overdue. As he walked up up to my window he asked for my identification and the other usual things. Then he said, said, “I assume that you’ll be taking care of that tag first thing thing in the morning?” “You bet,” I answered. “See that you do,” he said as he turned and walked away. The next day, I took care of that tag right

away. This situation is a wonderful illustration illustration of mercy. The policeman, instead of giving giving me what I deserved, was merciful and did not issue a citation. It’s the same way with God; but, our crimes are far more serious serious than an expired expired car tag. God shows us mercy mercy every single day. The fact that we are still alive, after all the sins we have committed and t he crazy things we have done, is evidence enough enough of God’s mercy. God shows us the mercy we don’t deserve deserve so that we may see his love for us and find our way to him. STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE


We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. (Step 3 of the 12 Steps) Romans 12:1 Therefore, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act act of worship.

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Lesson 27

REFLECTION: STEP TWO SPEAKS OF, “IN VIEW OF GOD’S MER CY. ” IN THE SPACE BELOW, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 1. DESCRIBE THREE TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN S HOWN MERCY. 2. WHY DO YOU THINK GOD SHOWS US MERCY? 3. IS THERE SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE WHO NEEDS YOU TO SHOW THEM MERCY? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 27


MARK 5:19 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

PROVERBS 28:13 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds m ercy.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. IN MATTHEW 5:19, JESUS HAD JUST CLEANSED A DEMON POSSESSED MAN. HOW DOES THIS PASSAGE RELATE TO YOUR PRESENT LIFE CIRCUMSTANCE? 2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU? 3. HOW DOES PROVERBS 28:13 RELATE TO YOUR PRESENT LI FE CIRCUMSTANCE? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 27

RECOVERY WISDOM You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the “ You smaller your God .” .”



RECOVERY READING

The Steps We Took; Step 3; p. 37-43 WRITE TWO INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVE D FROM TODAY’S READI NGS. 1. WRITE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE, 2. THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 28

LESSON 28

LIVING SACRIFACES In the movie, Saving Private Ryan, we are introduced to Captain John Miller who is ordered to lead seven other men on a quest behind dangerous enemy lines at Normandy to find Private James Ryan and escort him to safety so so that Ryan might return home unharmed. In the end, Miller and others of his men are killed by the enemy in the process of saving Private Ryan. Jesus came to this world to save us from t he ravages of sin so that we might return safely to our heavenly home. home. The apostle Paul says we are to “Offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” If we rise to the challenge, we are doing nothing less than Jesus did for us when he followed the will of his Father and sacrificed himself for you and me that we might be led to safety. STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE



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Lesson 28

REFLECTION: PROVIDE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE SPACE B ELOW: 1. WHAT IS THE SACRIFICE THAT GODS MAKES FOR US AND WHAT IS THE SACRIFICE WE ARE TO MAKE IN STEP 3? 2.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE FOR YOUR SOBRIETY?


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Lesson 28


MARK 12:32-34 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.

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To love him with all your heart, with all y our understanding and

with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any m ore questions.

PROVERBS 15:8 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. ACCORDING TO MARK, WHAT IS IT THAT GOD WANTS FROM YOU? 2.

BOTH MARK AND PROVERBS SPEAK SPEAK OF SACRIFICE. WHAT IS THE POINT THAT BOTH OF THESE SCRIPTURES ARE TRYING TO MAKE?

3.

ACCORDING TO THESE SCRIPTURES, WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM YOU?


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Lesson 28

RECOVERY WISDOM God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.” passage. ” “ God



RECOVERY READING

The Steps We Took; Step 3; p. 44-48 WRITE THREE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVED FROM TO DAY’S READINGS. 1. WRITE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE, 2. THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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LESSON 29

HOLY AND PLEASING Suppose you were very thirsty. Could you imagine satisfying satisfying your thirst by dipping an old plastic cup into a muddy watering hole filled filled with numerous insects buzzing buzzing about? One of the biggest problems facing developing developing nations is pure drinking drinking water. Most of us take clean drinking water for granted; but, this is hardly the case in many part s of the world where people still contract dreaded illnesses and die from waterborne diseases. The same is true for us on a spiritual level. Though we may not know it, we have have a powerful spiritual spiritual thirst. Instead of turning to Christ, many of us try and satisfy these deep hungers by drinking from polluted wells. While Jesus was traveling through Samaria, he spoke with a woman who had been married seven times. Interestingly, the conversation took place around Jacob ’s well. Jesus knew that her life had been filled with impurity; yet, he accepted her and used the opportunity to talk with her about the living water. STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE



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Lesson 29

REFLECTION: PROVIDE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. WHAT DO THE WORDS “HOLY AND PLEASING” M EAN IN ROMANS 12:1? YOUR OWN WORDS, WHAT WOULD 2. ANOTHER WORD FOR HOL Y IS “PURE.” IN YOU

A PERSON BE LIKE WHO LED A PURE LIFE? WHAT QUALITIES WOULD HE OR SHE HAVE? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 29


MATTHEW 5:8 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

PROVERBS 9:10 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. WHAT ARE FIVE QUALITIES OF A PURE HEART? 2. WHAT ARE FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO KEEP YOUR HEAR T PURE? 3. WHAT DOES PROVERBS 9:10 MEAN? 4. HOW CAN “FEAR OF THE LORD” AND “KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY ONE” HEL P YOU IN YOUR RECOVERY? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 29

RECOVERY WISDOM Do your best and then sleep in peace. God is awake.” awake. ” “ Do



RECOVERY READING

The Steps We Took; Step 3; p. 49-54 WRITE THREE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVED FROM TO DAY’S READINGS. 1. WRITE THE PAGE NUMBER AND QUOTE, 2. THEN EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED. USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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LESSON 30

YOUR SPIRITUAL ACT OF WORSHIP For those of us starting the journey of recovery, it’s easy to get spooked when we hear

religious terms being tossed tossed back and forth in our recovery groups. For some of us, it may have been years, if ever at all, since we’ve been serous about turning our lives over to the care and

control of God; yet, Step 3 requires that we take a big leap of faith and place our lives under his direction. But how do we do this? this? It is really very easy. After we have accepted Christ as our savior, savior, Paul says that “We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices.” He further says, “This is your spiritual act of worship.”

Notice that Paul starts with something very fundamental—our bodies. bodies. Worshipping Christ begins with the way we use our bodies. STEP REFLECTION Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (CELEBRATE



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Lesson 30

STEP REFLECTION: TURNING OUR LIVES OV ER TO CHRIST’S CARE AND CONTROL REQUIRES US TO GIVE HIM CONTROL OF OUR BODY. WHEN OUR BODY IS UNDER CHRIST’S CONTROL, IT IS CONSIDERED A “SPI RITUAL ACT OF WORSHI P. P.””

1. WHAT ARE FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO OFFER YOUR BODY AS A SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE? 2. WHAT ARE FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD AVOID DOING TO OFFER YOUR BODY AS A SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE? 3. WHY DO YOU THINK GOD BASES THE WAY WE USE OUR BODY AS A SPIR ITUAL ACT OF WORSHIP? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 30


1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, w hom you have received from God? You are not your own;

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you were bought at a price. Therefore

honor God with your body.

PROVERBS 14:30 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION) A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

____________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: IN THE SPACE BELOW: 1. ACCORDING TO 1 CORINTHIANS, WHY IS OUR BODY SO IMPORTANT? 2. HOW DO WE HONOR GOD WITH OUR BODY? 3. ACCORDING TO PROVERBS, WHAT GIVES LIFE TO THE BODY? 4. HOW DO WE GET A HEART OF PEACE — THAT GIVES LIFE TO THE BODY? USE THE BACK OF THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED TO WRITE MORE.

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Lesson 30

RECOVERY WISDOM The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you.” you.” “ The



RECOVERY READING GO TO APPENDIX 2 AND READ THE ARTICLE ENTITLED, DISCIPLESHIP IS THE BEST FORM OF ACCOUNTABILITY. WRITE FIVE INSIGHTS YOU RECEIVED FROM READING IT. 1. WRITE THE QUOTE AND THEN, 2. EXPLAIN THE INSIGHT YOU RECEIVED.

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APPENDIXES APPENDIX 1: APPENDIX 2: APPENDIX 3: APPENDIX 4:

Prayers of Surrender ................................. ............................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ..................... ...... 42 Discipleship Is the Best Form of Accountability ............................. ........................................... ............................ .......................... ............ 43 Selected Scriptures for Step 3 ........................................ ...................................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 47 The Good News Of the Gospel! ........................ ...................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 51

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APPENDIX 1: PRAYERS OF SURRENDER

Prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola "Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more." Prayer of Surrender “Father, In the name of Jesus, I am now willing to place my body, my soul, my spirit and my entire life into

Your hands. I now ask that You place me into Your perfect will for my life. Father, from this moment on, I will choose to stay fully surrendered to You all the days of my life and will allow You to lead and direct my life in the direction that You will want it to go in. Thank you Father. Thank you Jesus." Psalm 25:4-11 “4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. ”

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APPENDIX 2: DISCIPLESHIP IS THE BEST FORM OF ACCOUNTABILITY

by Luke Gilkerson, Blog Editor for Covenant Eyes Accountability is one of the foundational principles of Covenant of Covenant Eyes. Eyes. Our software is a tool that allows

people to take another step in vulnerability and honesty. What Christian men and women often think about when they hear “accountability” is a small group sitting in a circle discussing their failures and addictions. They may picture a la te night phone call to another struggling brother to confess the latest blunder. For those who need to get their sins into the open, this type of accountability can be therapeutic. Peer accountability and support groups can be helpful, but many times these situations end up being “the blind leading the blind.” Confession of failure is expected in these settings, but lasti ng change is often not expected. I’m not talking about the quality a ccountability that helps people get to the root of their temptations or addictions and uses the Word of God to transform thinking. I’m talking a bout the kind of minimal “accountability” that serves more as a way to ease one’s conscience, like a band -aid over a

cancerous lump. If you have tried a ccountability and still find yourself gripped by Internet temptation or addiction, read on Steve Gallagher writes, “It may surprise the reader to find out that the word ‘accountability’ is not mentioned once in the Bible.

The concept is in Scripture, but not in the weak way in which it is currently used today. Instead, the biblical concept is that of being discipled. I am not referring to more inform ation about Christianity. Listening to good sermons and reading interesting books can be helpful, but what the immature Christian needs most is for a mature saint to take him under his wing, so to speak, and bring godly instruction into his life.” ( At At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry ) Being “ DISCIPLED” is a powerful concept, and a misunderstood concept today. In Jesus’ day the rabbis

would take TALMIDIM (Hebrew for “disciples”) under their wing. These disciples followed their spiritual leader and teacher everywhere he went. Their objective was not to simply be good students of his teaching, but to become mirrors of his life. A student merely wants to know what the teacher knows. A disciple wants to BE who his teacher IS.

Jesus invested most of his ministry building character into a small group of men. They were unlike the crowds. The crowds could walk away merely thinking of what Jesus said; the disciples came face-to-face with the truth of Jesus’ words and were expected to live differently. Often, the reason why discipleship doesn’t happen in today’s church is because there are too fe w Christ-

like models who take young men and women under their wing the same way Jesus did. We are called to make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:18-20) 28:18-20), yet there are too few disciplers. We are not called to make others into Scriptures-scholars (although the Bible is indispensable in discipleship). We are not called to make sermon-listeners. We are not called to make church volunteers and laborers. We are called to make disciples.

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APPENDIX 2: Discipleship and Accountability

This means we are meant to have spiritual mentors in our midst who can say along with Paul, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) 11:1 ). Do you know anyone today who can say this with the confidence of Paul? Make no mistake: Paul was sinful. He had his problems. But we see here his Hebrew

understanding of discipleship coming out-we are meant to follow living, breathing, mature, albeit flawed, examples of Jesus if we ar e to become like Jesus. This is what the church is designed for. What solution does the Bible offer to those caught in sexual sin, to the overwhelmed and trapped?

Galatians 6:1-2 gives the answer: “ BROTHERS, IF SOMEONE IS CAUGHT IN A SIN, YOU WHO ARE SPIRITUAL SHOULD RESTORE HIM GENTLY. . . . CARRY EACH OTHER’S BURDENS, AND IN THIS WAY YOU WILL FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST. ” For those caught in the grip of sin, more than accountability is needed. We need those whom Paul called the “spiritual” to take on the ministry of restoration. This KATARTIZO), ), was a medical term for setting a broken bone. In our sinful, fractured term, “restore” ( KATARTIZO selves, the work of a spiritual person is to set right broken thoughts and beliefs with the tenderness and wisdom of a spiritual doctor. The same word translated “restore” is the root for the term used in

Ephesians 4 , “AND HE [CHRIST] GAVE THE APOSTLES, THE PROPHETS, THE EVANGELISTS, THE PASTORS AND TEACHERS, TO EQUIP THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF MI NISTRY, FOR BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST . . . ” (Ephesians 4:11-12, ESV) ESV ). Christ has given his church Christian leaders and mentors as gifts, the true spiritual elders and shepherd of the church, to restore the broken, and thus equip them to live as the body of Christ. And who are the “spiritual “ spiritual ” mentioned in Galatians 6:1? 6:1? Those who have a track record of walking in the

Spirit (Galatians 5:25) 5:25), who have lasting fruit of Christ-like character (5:22-23), who have eagerly waited on the Lord for righteousness to bloom in their life and have found him faithful (5:5). They are spiritual leaders who HEAR FROM GOD REGULARLY, REGULARLY , OBEY HIS VOICE, VOICE , and effectively MODEL INTIMACY WITH GOD.. They are the true elders a nd leaders who are experienced in healing the hurts caused by sin (James GOD 5:13-16). They may not hold the status of “elder” at a church (many do not), but they are a true mentor in the faith. Discipleship also has a human dimension. The f ellowship of the church is meant to be a new family: multiple generations of believers teaching one another. Disciples of Jesus seek to walk with the wise that they too might become wise. In his book, The Silence of Adam , Dr. Larry Crabb shares his dream for the church: “I see a few groups scattered here and there, across the Christian landscape, where godly character and

spiritual wisdom are more honored than degrees and skill, and more valued than achievement and expertise. . . . ” “In my dream, I see these people d oing something that very few are doing today in real life. I see them

walking past the office that has a shingle advertising a professional whose training guarantees technical competence but not godly character. I see them returning books to the shelf of the Christian bookstore: the books with jackets that falsely promise now what only heaven will later provide. I see them picking up a flyer promoting the seminar everyone is talking about, looking at it, then putting it down. ” “I see these people stumbling into the living room of a lonely widow, making their way to the coffee shop

to spend a couple hours with the tired widower, knocking on the door of a study where someone waits who is clothed with humility and eager for heaven, someone who is unself-consciously faithful as he warmly points to Christ. ”

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“I envision a generation in which mentors are not in such short supply, in which pastors a nd elders are

once again held in high esteem because they pastor and elder, in which Christian leaders a re no longer asked to manage ministries the way executives build corporations, but rather are revered as men of godly influence. If I look hard into my dream, I can see an army of wise men and women distributed among God’s people, armed only with gentle discernment and penetrating wisdom, charact er qualities that have

been forged in the fires of suffering. . . . These men are FATHERS, these women are MOTHERS, godly people whose quiet presence is felt and valued.” (Dr. Larry Crabb, THE SILENCE OF ADAM)

Where are we to start? We start by seeking these people out. Start by finding a good Bible-teaching church with a multi-generational makeup. This is becoming less

and less popular in our highly specialized ministry culture. We have peer groups for everything in the church, program upon program: groups for men, women, husbands, fathers, wiv es, mothers, singlemothers, seniors, teens, pre-teens, college-age, career-builders, young parents, divorced, remarried, dogtrainers, fishmongers, butchers, bakers, and candlestick-makers. None of these life-stage or commoninterest groups are inherently bad; but as we begin to buy into this sort of ministry cult ure, we also begin to believe that these groups have little to nothing to offer each other. Nothing could be further from the truth. I like the Apostle John’s description of the church, a church of spiritual children, young men, and fathers. “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, 2:12-14) and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:12-14) The church is full of LITTLE of LITTLE CHILDREN in the faith, those who have come to know God as Father, Abba, because they have been recently adopted into Christ’s fa mily through the forgiveness of their sins. These

children have a fresh love for Jesus. Then there are the YOUNG MEN (AND WOMEN) in the faith-those who have learned to fight temptation, stand up for Jesus in adversity, and overcome the deceptions of the evil one-all because the word of God dwells richly in them. Finally there are THE FATHERS (AND MOTHERS) in the faith who k now intimately “him who is from the beginning,” Jesus Christ Himself. They, like Paul, are the aged and experienced, and after a long life of obedience say with Paul that their one desire is to know Christ (Philippians 3:10) 3:10 ). We children need the young men to come a longside us, take us with them into battle and show us how to brandish the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. We children and young men need the fathers of the

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church so that we can hear their wisdom, so we can see the fire in their eyes that comes f rom sitting a lifetime at the Mast er’s feet. If you are a n aspiring spiritual father, look for that lonely college student in the church who shows some promise. If you are a young adult, find that high schooler who sits in the back of the sanctuary and take him out to lunch with your family. If you are a grandfather, find the single -mother who could desperately use a strong father figure. If you are a sin -struggling teen, find a knowledgeable older man or woman who has some life behind them. Choose to be a part of a church that still believes that gray hair is a crown of glory (Proverbs 16:31) 16:31 ) not just a sign of stress. Together let’s take on the ministry of restoring damaged souls as true brothers and fathers. Let’s be disciple -makers.

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APPENDIX 3: Selected Scriptures for Step 3 Joshua 24:15-16 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 16 Then the people answered, Far be it from us t hat we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.

Psalm 25:3-11 3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Psalm 37:11 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

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APPENDIX 3: Selected Scriptures for Step 3

Psalm 84:12 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Proverbs 2:9-11 9 Then you will w ill understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,

Proverbs 3:5 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 14:30 30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Proverbs 21:3 3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Proverbs 28:13 13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Proverbs 29:25 25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

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Isaiah 26:3 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Matthew 5:5 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 11:29-30 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Mark 5:19 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and t ell ell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Mark 12:32-34 32 And 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Acts 2:36-40 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. 37 Now when they heard this they w ere cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 do?” 38 And And Peter said to them, “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. 39 For t he promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Romans 12 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of G od, to present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to

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this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to t hink with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, t hough many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of m ercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19 Or do you not know that t hat your body is a temple of the Holy S pirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

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APPENDIX 4: The Good News

APPENDIX 4: THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL!

PART 1, WHO IS THE HIGHER POWER? An old recovery saying says, “There is a God and and I’m not it!” This is good news for all of us who who have been unsuccessfully unsuccessfully trying to run our lives! God never intended for for you to be your own guide! He reserves the right to guide your steps and He sent Jesus to help help you! If we accept Christ as our higher power we must give up any notions of controlling our lives; and not only that, but we must stop trying to control other people, places and things as well. 1. Quickly review the 10 names for God in your last series of lessons and write them down. 2. List 10 people, places or things that you find yourself continually trying to control (be God). Facts about Jesus according to the Bible 

His coming was prophesied hundreds of years before he was actually born as a person who would heal our diseases and save us from our sins,



He is God’s son. He is fully God and fully man.



He is "…the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to t he Father except through

me (John 14:6) 

He preached about the “kingdom of God,” repentance and the forgiveness or sins, and how we should live. He helped sinners sinners find their way to God.



He died as a sacrifice for our sins,



He was resurrected from the dead as a sign of God’s m ighty power.



He lives today at God’s right hand where he intercedes in our behalf.

3. Write a paragraph that answers the following question, “Who “Who is Jesus and why is he important to my recovery ?” ?” Feel free to use the facts presented above or any other

information you may have have about Jesus. Be prepared to share what you have written at your next meeting.

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PART 2, THERE IS A GOD AND I ’M NOT IT! Let’s compare ourselves with God for a moment shall we? Please fill out the following c hart GOD

ME

Is all powerful

Created the world and everything in it

Knows every thing

Is the ultimate authority

Created the heavens and heavenly creatures

Can work miracles

Can forgive sins

Is the total ruler and authority over everything

Can heal, me, the nations and all sickness

Sent his son to save humans from their sins

Resurrected Jesus from the dead

Can be with all people at all times.

Is perfectly righteous and holy, never sins

1. What have you learned from this exercise? 2. Why are you still trying to be God?

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PART 3, BOUNDARIES AND BULLS EYES

Part of the problem of being human is that we are sinful. The Bible states that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory glory of God.” Another scripture scripture reminds us that that if any of

us says we have no sin—that person is a liar and the truth is not in him. There are two words in the Bible that are most often translated as sin. One word means to transgress—or step across a boundary or limit. The second word is an archery archery term that means to “miss the mark.” God wants us to know that he has created some divine

boundaries and bulls eyes for our lives. Our lives don’t work as intended when we transgress and miss the mark. Other definitions of sin include some of these concepts: 

Doing what we know we shouldn’t,



Not doing what we know we should,

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Violating our conscience,

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Harming others by our words, deeds and actions,

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Not living up to Godly standards,

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All unrighteousness,

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Carrying ungodly anger and emotions in our heart,

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Lust

1. List five areas that you continually transgress. 2. List an additional five areas where you continually miss the mark. 3. For each of the other definitions listed li sted above—list two examples from your own life. 4. Are you able to stop sinning? 5. List five things you have learned from this exercise.

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PART 4, FUBAR BECOMES GRACE!

F U B A R! Because of the sin in our lives, lives, human kind is fouled up beyond beyond all recognition. There is nothing we can do about this. Those of us with addictions addictions and compulsive behaviors behaviors may be the lucky ones. We were some of the first to learn about our powerless powerless and our tendency to do the wrong thing. Many times, people who don’t have addictions can’t see that their lives are just as unmanageable as ours. They think that anger and resentments resentments are an ordinary part of living. We, however, however, know that we are FUBAR. Sooner or later, everyone everyone learns learns this. Fortunately for for us, the story does not end here. There is a God in heaven who knows all about our situation and he has not turned his back upon us. He knows us by name and he knows knows each time we have transgressed and missed missed the mark both intentionally and unintentionally. unintentionally. He knows all about our sins, addictions and and compulsions. Nothing about us is hidden from from Him. He also knew that our problems were were God sized—that nothing we could do on our own would ever stop us from making bad choices. God knew that unless he did something for us, none of us could escape our pain and agony. And that’s the story of Grace—God doing for us what we could not do for ourselves through Christ. Grace is kindness from from God that we do not not deserve. It is the unmerited unmerited favor from God. Grace is not mercy. Mercy means we don’t receive the punishment we deserve. Grace is a gift we

receive that we do not deserve. Grace is the undeserved gift that God bestows bestows upon us from his divine character because he knows we need it. Here are just a few gifts that come to us as a result of God’s Grace:   



Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins, The indwelling Holy Spirit, Spiritual Gifts that allow us to know God better,

 



The gift of life, healing and living,

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The ability to bear fruit, Deliverance from our addictions and compulsions, The love of family and friends, Birthright gifts that allow us to make a living and enjoy life.

Many, many more gifts of grace could be listed! 1. List 20 gifts of grace that you have received in your lifetime. 2. Choose 2 scriptures from those listed below that mean the most to you as you contemplate God’s amazing grace. 

John 1:16, Romans 5:15, Romans 6:14, Romans 11:6, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Ephesians 2:5-8, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Titus 3:6-8, 2 Peter 1: 2

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PART 5, SITTING IN THE WHEELBARROW There is a story about Jean Francois Gravelot, a famous man who was also known as The Great Blondin. Gravelot, was the first man to walk a cross a rope that was strung across Niagara Falls.

Before this famous feat, Blondin once asked a crowd, “How many of you believe I can successfully walk between those two buildings across that rope that is stretched between them?” A few hands were raised. Then, he scampered up up the side of the tall building and walked across the high-wire to the other building. building. He then asked the excited crowd, “How many of you believe I can push a wheelbarrow across this high wire from one building to the next ?” More hands went up. This time he successfully pushed pushed a wheelbarrow across the high wire between the two buildings. Then he asked the crowd, “How many of you think I could push a man in this wheelbarrow from one building to the next across the high- wire?” This time every every hand in the crowd we nt up. He then asked, “Who is willing willing to get in the wheelbarrow?” It’s the same way with our faith. It’s one thing to believe that God can handle our lives and

another thing to actually get in the wheelbarrow. wheelbarrow. Faith is our willingness to trust God with our lives by giving up the control we have over our lives as well as other people, places and things. List a minimum of five important things that you still are trying to control or have not given to God.

Make a list of things you think God wants you to give him

List the things you feel you have given to God and are obeying him as best you can.

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PART 6, THE BELIEVER’S CEREM ON Y There comes a time when each person must make a decision to go public with their intention to set aside their will to follow Christ. As we have been stressing, following following Christ is more than setting aside our will to follow him, it also means that we stop our attempts to control other people, places and things as as well. We not only want Christ to be the Lord of our life; but, when we stop our attempts to control others as well, we affirm our desire for him to be their Lord as well. Different faith traditions have differing ceremonies and ways of making public their decision to follow Christ. Most require that a decision to follow follow Christ is publically announced and and made known before family, friends friends and church officials such as pastors and elders. elders. Many, require water baptism such as sprinkling and total immersion, There are two parts to the believer’s ceremony th at we ask of all mentees. The first part

involves making a public public proclamation of your faith. The second involves participating participating in a private believer’s ceremony to be held in your mentorship group among your fellow mentees Part 1: Public Ceremony 1.

If you haven’t already, we ask that you make public your desire to follow Christ in accordance to the teachings of your church, or begin a program of study that will lead to the public proclamation of their faith.

2.

If your religious tradition includes water baptism, we ask that you consider taking this vow as well. If possible, we ask that you invite your sponsors and fellow mentees to witness this significant event.

3.

If you have already made a public proclamation of faith, such as those listed in items 1 and 2, we ask that you follow your church’s teachings teachings on asking for prayers of restoration. restoration. We do not

recommend that you make public confessions of sin, just a public request for the prayers of your fellow believers. Part 2: Private Ceremony 1.

Bring to class a sack that is filled with four or five items that are representative of things that have kept you from following Christ more closely. Be prepared to explain each of your items and then ceremonially turn these items over to Christ. (i.e. A remote control might represent hours spent watching inappropriate materials).

2.

After you made a short explanation of each of these items, you will read a short letter that will be addressed to your mentee group that states your intentions to rededicate your life to Christ, from this day forward, as well as your willingness willingness to follow Him as best you can. Please include a statement of your willingness to stop “playing God” by giving up all forms of control over your own life as well as other people, places and things. Feel free to mention and specific areas that you are now placing into the control of Christ that you’ve been reluctant to give to him until now.

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PART 7, THE HIGHEST POWER To everyone who accepts Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, God gives the Gift of the Holy Spirit! While entire books have have been written about this precious gift, here are a few things that you should know about this wonderful gift. 

It dwells within us —our body is its temple. That’s why we need to keep our body unpolluted from the world.



It is God’s way of making us aware of his ever abiding Immanuel presence.

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The Spirit influences our thought s and actions. That’s why we should pay attention attention to our thoughts. thoughts.

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The Spirit leads us into all truth.

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The Spirit gives us wisdom to help us understand how we should obey what is written in the Bible. The Spirit also speaks words of revelation (Rhema) into our lives.

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The Spirit transforms our lives into holiness through the following gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This transformation is promised promised to all followers.



The Spirit also endows p eople with gifts (charis) for the purpose of spreading God’s word to the world. There are more than can be mentioned; but some of them include: teaching, teaching, prophecy, discernment, faith, healing, knowledge and so on. These are different from our birthright gifts that God bestows on each of us to help us provide for our daily needs.



God’s Spirit (The Holy Spirit) is always at work in our lives. Though its communication may seem

subtle at first, with practice we soon learn to discern its leading when messages hit home to us through scripture, thoughts, words from others, spoken conversations, messages from events around us, dreams, random songs, repeating and synchronistic events, and so called coincidences (just another name for God working undercover!) to name but a few.

1. List three “coincidences” that happened in your life that you now recognize as God’s leading. 2. Have you learned how the “voice” of God speaks to you? If so, describe how it happens. If not, which of the descriptions in the list above seem like a likely place for you to start? Describe what you might do. 3. God is with us each day and, whether we know it or not, is an active part of o f what we do. Look back over the past two days of your life and make a quick list of the things you did, the people you saw and things that were said said that stick in your mind. See if you can notice those times when God was at work. (You might even want to say o r write a brief prayer of thanks!)

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PART 8, MAKE FRIENDS WITH GO D’S CHILDREN One of the best ways of leaving an old life life behind is to make a new set of friends. friends. God intends for his children to be connected to each other. As we’ve progressed through STEPS 2 and 3 we’ve made constant references to “a power greater than ourselves.” ourselves.” While the trinity (God,

Jesus and Holy Spirit) are the highest power, the children of God, found in a fellowship of believers, is another vital source of higher power. He reminds us that “Iron sharpens iron” and that a “Three-fold cord is not easily broken.” God’s friends help keep us grounded.

1. Read Appendix 2 Discipleship is the best form of accountability. 2. Do you have a circle of friends to help you overcome your compulsions and addictions? 3. Do you have a special group of friends that you consult with on a regular basis to help you stay focused and accountable on your Christian walk? 4. Are you an active member with a local church? Describe what you do? 5. Do you feel connected to your local church? 6. How often do you fellowship with other believers each week? 7. List five people you could develop friendships with to help you in your daily walk.

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PART 9, PRAYER 1. Read the prayers of surrender in Appendix 1 2. If you feel ready, pray the Third Step Prayer given below. Third Step Prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous God, I offer myself to Thee — to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always! 3. Write out your own third step prayer and memorize it. Be prepared to share it with the group. If the prayer above summarizes your feelings, write it down and memorize it. You are encouraged to post a copy of your prayer where you will see it each day. Remember, prayer is something we can do each day—whenever we feel the need to reach out and connect with God. Our goal is to develop a constant attitude of prayer—to be in a prayerful state all of the time. Because of our compulsive need to control our lives as well as other people, places and things, here are some “default” prayers that some 12 Step members constantly pray.

1.

Lord, please help me.

2. Dear Lord, please meet me today at the point of my greatest need. 3. Dear Lord, please show me your will and way —and give me the courage to do it!

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PART 10, THE DAILY RECOVERY HABIT As we learn more about God’s Good News, we learn that He is more willing to communicate with us than we are with him. Once our awareness is pierced, pierced, we discover that He is constantly reaching out to us through nature, the events in our lives, the people about us, our thoughts, the leading of his Spirit, and his scriptures —The Holy Bible. Bible study is one of those high leverage activities where where a little effort goes a long way. If you haven’t already developed the habit of daily bible study, here are a few helpful ideas to help you

get started. 1. Start with a goal of five minutes. It’s better to develop a habit that is based based upon a short period of time than an inconsistent habit. 2. Your default bible study should should always be the book of Proverbs. There are 31 chapters of wisdom in this book —one chapter for each day of the month. 3. Read the chapter, note which scriptures make an impression upon you. 4. Select one verse to write down, and explain what you think the verse means and how it applies to your life. 5. Proverbs is our default book of study. It’s where we go whenever we have have no other plan. Of course, there are wonderful daily study study guides, books of the bible, Christian Christian based recovery books, etc. This recovery series, if worked each each day, makes a fine bible study and daily recovery habit. Remember, your recovery is going to be the result result of Christ’s work in your life. Your willingness

to spend time each day in bible study is a sign of your partnership with Him in your recovery. 1. For today’s assignment, follow the instructions above using the book of Proverbs as your default course of study. study. Show your work on this page.

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