CRA Christians in Recovery (anonymous)

December 04, 2019 . . . God's will, not ours . . . Page 354

"We know that if we pray for God's will we will receive what is best for us, regardless of what we think."
Basic Text, p. 46

By the time we came to NA, our inner voices had become unreliable and self-destructive. Addiction had warped our desires, our interests, our sense of what was best for ourselves. That's why it's been so important in recovery to develop our belief in a Power greater than ourselves, something that could provide saner, more reliable guidance than our own. We've begun learning how to rely on this Power's care and to trust the inner direction it provides us.

As with all learning processes, it takes practice to "pray only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out." The selfish, ego-driven attitudes we developed in our addiction are not cast off overnight. Those attitudes may affect the way we pray. We may even find ourselves praying something like, "Relieve me of this character defect so I can look good."

The more straightforward we are about our own ideas and desires, the easier it will be to distinguish between our own will and our Higher Power's will. "Just for your information, God" we might pray, "here's what I want in this situation. Nonetheless, I ask that your will, not mine, be done." Once we do this, we are prepared to recognize and accept our Higher Power's guidance.

Just for Today: Higher Power, I've learned to trust your guidance, yet I still have my own ideas about how I want to live my life. Let me share those ideas with you, and then let me clearly understand your will for me. In the end, let your will, not mine, be done.

24Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.…
Berean Study Bible








The story of Solomon tells of the rise and fall of one of the greatest richest and most powerful Kings the world has ever known. He became all of these things for one primary reason; He didn't ask for them.

Early in Solomon’s reign, 1 Kings 3:5) The Lord said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon’s reply? 3:9) “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”

Solomon chose to start off his reign on the right foot. His full request to God sounds almost as if he took steps 1, 2 & 3 all at once. He admitted that he could not run the Kingdom on his own, that the Kingdom was really God’s anyway, and that he needed to rely on God's wisdom to succeed.

The Lord was so pleased with this request that he told Solomon he would bless him not only with great wisdom, but with prosperity and peace as well. All Solomon needed to do was to obey God as his father, David had.

Before we were in recovery, we had our priorities turned all around. We thought if we made enough money, got the right job, found the right mate, or fixed all the people who had messed this up, that everything would end up alright. But deep down, we knew otherwise. Our own success in life and in recovery must begin and end with God. When we put him first, we will be given the wisdom and the resources to live fully. Though Solomon struggled with the ending, he got off to a solid beginning. So can we, each day.

December 05, 2019 . . . Those who want to recover . . Page 355

"We have seen the program work for any addict who honestly and sincerely wants to stop [using drugs]."
Basic Text, p. 10

How do we know when someone honestly and sincerely wants to stop using drugs? The truth is that we don't know! Because we cannot read minds or know another's motives and desires, we simply have to hope for the best.

We may talk to a newcomer at a meeting and think we'll never see them again, only to find them several years later doing well in their recovery. We may be tempted to give up on someone who keeps relapsing or doesn't get clean right away, but we must not. No matter how unwilling someone may seem, a simple fact remains - the addict is at a meeting.

We may never know the results of our Twelfth Step work; it is not up to us to gauge the willingness of a newcomer. The message we carry is a part of us. We carry it everywhere and share it freely, leaving the results to a Power greater than ourselves.

Just for Today: I will share my recovery with any addict, anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstances. I will leave the results to my Higher Power.

Dec 5
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019 - EXPERIENCING THE BLESSING OF MAKING AMENDS

When we make amends under the guidance of our loving God, everyone is blessed. Confessing our wrongs to someone we have harmed means they no longer need to carry around the painful baggage from the event. The resentment each of us held towards the another will begin to ease and both parties will experience more freedom in the future.

Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace. (Luke 1:78-79 NLT)

It is essential that we become willing to make amends to people we have harmed. However, we need to do so with the motive of taking responsibility for the hurt we caused. When the time is right, and with a prayerful attitude of seeking God’s healing for the people we have harmed, God will guide each of us to the pathway of peace.

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT)

How do we welcome God’s blessing on this process so no one gets injured? We reach out in repentance rather than in self-centered consideration of our own needs. We keep our focus on God’s plan and purpose for the good of all parties in the relationship. This opens the door for God to bless our encounters and conversations even when they include difficult topics. We respectfully approach others, remembering from where we've come. We act in faith, because we know that unless God covers our amends with His grace and healing, we will be ineffective.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending Jesus into the world to make relationship with You possible. Now I ask You to work in my heart so that I might make right my past relationships with others. Amen

©2019 Partners in Hope

You've just successfully changed the dynamics of the term 'cake walk' But seriously recovery is not always a piece of cake. Inside every recovering person with co-occurring disorders there remain the disorders that we are recovering from. That's why most of us Continue to say recovering and not cured or recovered. The emotional and or mental problems that used to interact with our obsessive-compulsive desires to use or do whatever caused our unmanageability, usually remains to some degree. They often and unexpectedly return from time to time. Thank the Good Lord that your relapse was only a bad dream.

I'm proud that you can admit that we are not perfect, yet. We are getting better and if we can stay the course to the best of our ability and admit our shortcomings we will not only be made perfect but reap the rewards of good and faithful servants when the Lord returns. It brings to mind the last 2/3's of the serenity prayer that often gets skipped or overlooked by pro-agnostic 12 step groups>

Thank you, sweet heart. Getting up to speak at a podium is certainly not my favorite thing to do as I experience performance anxiety But I have happy news! A woman from my church, an elder's wife, both of whom I connected with immediately when we met, has agreed to give me my cake. I do not normally make a big deal of it, but she says it is a big deal and is very happy for me which makes me very happy Being able to share with those who understand the significance and central place of God in our lives has been very... helpful and healing for me during the changes that I have been going through. Her husband may come as well and that would be awesome

12/12 right? But your B'day is the seventh I got over my own performance anxiety when I learned to laugh at my own faux pa's.

No, I have not made any arrangement for my NA cake yet, aside from letting the chairperson know it is happening; this is for my AA cake this coming Saturday... two days away! I will be baking my cake tomorrow night

Two of my favorite memories from "taking a cake" are one from each fellowship. The first cake I took in AA (with seven years of sobriety) was more than a bit nerve wracking because I was a member of a very large Saturday morning group, where a minimum of a hundred people met regularly... so not only had I never taken a cake in AA before, but it was to be in a very large assembly. I told them I had never taken a cake in AA before because I did not feel like I was "good enough", and that was the truth. So many looked like shiny happy people, I did not measure up. They laughed politely at this LOL. But my favorite part of the meeting was afterwards, when a young woman came up to me and told me I had restored her faith in AA specifically because I did not pick a bunch of people I knew to share; I had instead chose random people from the audience. It had been a wonderful meeting with great messages of recovery.

My second favorite cake meeting was this time through in NA By this time through I mean following my relapse after eight years, which was a couple of years before I became a Christian in 2004. Many times when taking a cake the "spotlight" is shared with another person who is also taking a cake In NA, I have shared the same night with the same woman for quite a few years. She invited a whole bunch of people for her cake, and every single one of them who spoke for her first talked about me, some of how I had been at their first meeting, or simply been there for so long (like a regular fixture haha) since I have been an attendee of the same group for many of my years going to NA since 1994. It was very sweet to hear that I had impacted them somehow, and made a difference in the lives of so many. I do not seek out such compliments, but it is lovely, and very humbling also, to receive them.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2019 - LIVING THROUGH THIS DAY ONLY

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.


We are unable to understand and prepare for all of the complications that life will bring. In fact, that's God's job. We've already discovered many times, when we try to do God's job, we end up a miserable failure. We can only do life in small doses – one day at a time, one moment at a time.

Hear what God says: “When the time came for me to show you favor, I heard you; when the day arrived for me to save you, I helped you.” Listen! This is the hour to receive God's favor; today is the day to be saved! (2 Corinthians 6:2 GNT)

God's invitation to each of us in this day in recovery is to trust His control of time and everything that will happen, pay attention to His word, and do only those things that He says are good for us. If we stumble, He promises to be there when we turn to Him and reach out our hand for Him to pull us back up.

But get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant. You are to tell others what you have seen of me today and what I will show you in the future. (Acts 26:16 GNT)


The challenge for us each day is to make that ongoing surrender of our will to God, humbly acknowledging that we are powerless without Him and that only in His power and wisdom can we do today what needs doing. It's too easy to get a little strength back, learn a few helpful principles, put them into practice for a few weeks, and figure we've got things under control. Not true!! The secret to success in life is maintaining God's truth as the framework for our life and acknowledging that we need God with us each and every day.

If you hear God's voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God. (Hebrews 3:15 GNT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, just for today I choose to seek Your will and to put it into practice in all I do and say. Help me to trust You with yesterday and tomorrow. Amen

©2019 Partners in Hope

“Praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out” means that we ask ‘on a daily basis’ to be shown a plan for that day. We also ask God for the power we need to carry that through. We will get a yes to both requests.

We do not ask other people to show their will for us. We ask God. Then we trust that we'll be empowered to carry God's will through.

God never asks us to do anything that he would not equip us to do. He never asks us to do anything we can't do. If we are to do it, we will be empowered. That’s the easy part of this program. We never have to do more than we can or anything we can't. If we want to worry and fuss we can, but we don't need to. That is our choice.

I have learned, through difficult and good times, that this step will carry me through. When I don't know what to do next, God does. Working this step, 'one day at a time', will take us to places we could have never have traveled on our own. Simple acts, done daily in accordance to God's will for us, lead to a Grand Plan for our life.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2019 - HONOURING GOD, HONOURING OTHERS
Audio for HONOURING GOD, HONOURING OTHERS
God created us to live as honourable people – honouring God, honouring others, and experiencing the joy of living as persons of integrity and honour. Living life only to please ourselves, whether in addiction or recovery, leaves us dissatisfied and vulnerable to harm. However, living life according to God’s principles, will prove to be both satisfying and purposeful.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10 NIV)

God wants our lives to reflect Him in us. Jesus said that anyone who has seen Him has also seen His Father. Jesus reflected His Father’s character when He went about doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the evil one. Are we, like Jesus, willing to look towards the well-being of our family, our friends and those around us? How can we honour them today?

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16 NLT)

We are called to honour God by all we are, all we have, and in all we do. Our work, our play, our eating, our sexual habits, and our finances are all areas where we can learn to honour God rather than simply live for personal gain.

God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 6:20, Proverbs 3:9, 1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT)

As we honour God and others above ourselves, God will enable us to be the person He created us to be – a person who experiences honour.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to be mature and leave self-centeredness behind so I can live in a way that honours You and others. Please give me the will and desire to do so. Amen
©2019 Partners in Hope

"Thanks for sharing!"
'Praise God'

"Thank you for sharing!"

December 07, 2019 . . . Surviving our emotions . . Page 357

"We use the tools available to us and develop the ability to survive our emotions."
Basic Text, p. 31

"Survive my emotions?" some of us say. "You've got to be kidding!" When we were using, we never gave ourselves the chance to learn how to survive them. You don't survive your feelings, we thought - you drug them. The problem was, that "cure" for our unsurvivable emotions was killing us. That's when we came to Narcotics Anonymous, started working the Twelve Steps and, as a result, began to mature emotionally.

Many of us found emotional relief right from the start. We were tired of pretending that our addiction and our lives were under control; it actually felt good to finally admit they weren't. After sharing our inventory with our sponsor, we began to feel like we didn't have to deny who we were or what we felt in order to be accepted. When we'd finished making our amends, we knew we didn't have to suffer with guilt; we could own up to it and it wouldn't kill us. The more we worked the NA program, the better we felt about living life as it came to us.

The program works today as well as it ever did. By taking stock of our day, getting honest about our part in it, and surrendering to reality, we can survive the feelings life throws our way. By using the tools available to us, we've developed the ability to survive our emotions.

Just for Today: I will not deny my feelings. I will practice honesty and surrender to life as it is. I will use the tools of this program to survive my emotions.

The mission of this program is to offer those of us who are affected by many and/or multiple disorders, A Christ centered way to recover.

Originally a Christian program known as The Oxford group developed the principles from Matthew 5:3-9 (aka the Beatitudes) plus admission of shortcoming’s and testimony that led the Alcoholics Anonymous founders to establish the 12 steps. In order to make them more acceptable to the non-Christian community they made it agnostic centered. However they often did and still do mention god, higher power or creator, without a name. It works for the general population that have the honesty, open mindedness, and willingness to follow through and work the steps. Alcoholics Anonymous claims that their program is spiritual and not religious.
Those who pay attention will quickly notice that the steps lead directly to faith, trust and a reliance upon a higher power. This is not AA! We realize and recognize that our higher power has a name: He is Jesus Christ! We urge you to work towards building your faith hope and dependence up on the rock of Salvation.

Most of us with obsessive compulsive, addictive, sex, gambling and or other behavioral or chemically related problems, have emotional and or psychological problems as well. The purpose of the steps is to uncover the roots of the deeper problems that we are trying to escape from and/or get relief from. We need to identify them and seek forgiveness and help with them.

That leaves us the question of which road to take. Should we follow the 12 steps or the Bible? The answer is easy, both.

A very wise King named Solomon, once puzzled over some of the dilemmas of life; and he said, in Ecclesiastes Ch. 7 vs 15-18:

“In this meaningless life of mine I've seen both of these: The righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness. Do not be over righteous, neither be over wise - why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool - why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. whoever fears God will avoid all extremes." NIV

We believe we have found a realistic approach to coping with and recovering from these problems. Each of us in recovery every unique story instead of circumstances. We all are affected differently.

We believe we must deal with both our obsessive compulsive, addictive and/or habitual disorders. As well as our history and or emotional/ mental disorders at the same time. Here is how it starts to work;

1. We admitted we are powerless-and our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that Jesus can restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the Lord.

Many people in recovery come to Step 3 and ask God to help them. God's help however is only help. We must do the effort required to recognize and overcome our shortcomings and qualities as well. When we admit to God, ourselves and another person in Step 5 What the exact nature of our character defects are we must be aware of what they are. How can we expect help in changing unless we accept and recognize what needs to be changed?

Many people seem to misunderstand that the 12 steps, is not a mantra to be recited rather, they are instructions of what to do. By the time we get ready to do them we should be well grounded in the program, have some successful recovery time in the program and a sponsor.

Many people prefer to skip over the work and become some sort of 12 step evangelist. They try to recruit, give instructions and sometimes even try to become sponsors without working the steps themselves. This is unfortunate and usually leads to a relapse of more than 1 person.

If you are curious of what is required to do this. I have found a Christian link for you to investigate. It has a guide of what the steps are and how to follow them. It also has worksheets and other materials to assist you in your goal of recovery.

http://www.partnersinhope.ca/life-with-god-in-recovery-resources/

After having written out an inventory of the negative and positive aspects of my life, I still didn't feel rid of the bad feelings or able to concentrate on the good ones. I saw that I had more work to do before I could be freed from the powerful patterns I was uncovering.

When you are at this point, I was advised, seek out another surrendering person whom you can trust and share that list. It's not that God needs to know oure self-centered characters traits and harmful behavior’s; he already does. But we need to clear out the basement of our lives from the past by bringing these things out in the open. We need the humility that experience brings in order to clear our vision so we can see God's light in the denied corners of our lives.

For years as committed Christian I had tried to clean up my life without this step. I was like a man who kept fumigating his house but had a basement full of dead dogs. Things sometimes look clean to me-but they never smelled quite right. For me it was necessary to humble myself by reading my inventory before God and another person. As I told my secrets, they lost some of their power over me, and I wasn't so afraid to be known. It was only then, through the sense of God's forgiveness that followed, that I became able to make amends, where feasible, and to find the serenity and joy of living in the light, as the Biblical writers speak of it. The relief was enormous

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2019 - DOING GREAT THINGS
Audio for DOING GREAT THINGS
Each Sunday we normally reflect on a Psalm, which is a poem from God's word. Today we find encouragement from a poem/song sung by Mary, Jesus' mother when she was told that she had been chosen by God to give birth to Jesus.



Filled with wonder at all the amazing things God was about to do through her, Mary sings: “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.” (Luke 1:46-49 NLT)


Mary hadn't yet given birth but, knowing how trustworthy God is, Mary believed and rejoiced in God’s plan for her. She said, “Yes” and was willing to follow God’s plan before she even knew all the details. In fact, what she did know seemed to point to problems on the horizon as the plan was fulfilled.


God chooses us not because we are people with lots of money and influence but because we are willing to trust that, even though we feel insignificant and powerless, God can still accomplish through us the amazing things He has promised. Our part is to commit our will and our life into His care and allow God to guide us in all we do and say.


Some of us drifted into addiction because we felt no one took any notice of us. We didn't seem to have anything in us that others desired. We were not aware that God created us for a purpose. Even though Mary had other plans, God had a purpose for Mary’s life, and He worked out the things that concerned her. He enabled His plan to be fulfilled in her life.


Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. (Luke 2:19 NLT)

God created us to do good and to be a blessing to others. If we allow Him to guide us, God will fulfill His plan for our lives and work out whatever concerns us. Thankfully it's not how powerful we are that gets the job done. It’s going forward with the Mighty One who does great things for us and through us.


Prayer: Heavenly Father, I praise you with joy today because you have taken notice of me and are doing great things for me and through me. Amen
©2019 Partners in Hope