CRA Christians in Recovery (anonymous)

The 12 steps have been used to deal with addictions to alcohol, food, recreation and prescription drugs, sex, gambling comma and spending and addictions to different kinds of unhealthy relationships that people form to try to alleviate or erase their pain. Separate movement have been established to deal with each of these addictions the simple yet profoundly powerful spiritual model that is hidden within the 12 steps has caused these groups collectively to become perhaps the fastest growing spiritual movement in America today.

Sorry about the typos. I was called away before I was finished editing. Oh well, I'm sure the message comes through just the same. We only claim progress, not perfection.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019


Just for today I will be joyful, optimistic, and grateful. I will take time to notice the gifts in me, in others, and in my surroundings and let the rest go.

Holding on to anger and pain doesn't fix anything. Burying a grudge deep within and putting layers of blame on top of the hurt doesn't bring healing. Whether the irritation or the wound is recent or something we've held for a long time, perhaps today is the day to finally let go, so we can be joyful, optimistic and grateful.

For everything there is a season … A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. (Ecclesiastes 3:1a, 6 NLT)

Our own shame is often one of the greatest barriers to living joyfully today. God promises us forgiveness. Jesus paid with His life so we could have eternal life and freedom from sin today. The devil seeks to keep us hiding our pain in the darkness of unforgiveness so we will feel like damaged goods. It’s time to let the past go into the cleansing river of God’s unlimited forgiveness.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13 NIV)

Admittedly, life isn’t perfect and we may face circumstances and challenges that seem bigger than we can handle. Thankfully we can let our feelings of worry and fear point us to our need for God’s help, which will surely be available when we ask for it. As many others have done in the past, let’s get rid of everything that slows us down and causes us to fall. Let’s notice the gifts we have in this day and let the rest go.

We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. (Hebrews 12:1 ERV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You know me and You know everything about my heart and my circumstances. I bring it all to You and choose to let it go into Your cleansing river of forgiveness so I can live in Your joy and peace today. Amen

(co Partners in Hope Ministries)

November 21, 2019 . . . . . . Letting our defects go . . . Page 339

"If [character defects] contributed to our health and happiness,
we would not have come to such a state of desperation." Basic Text, p. 35

Getting started on the Sixth and Seventh Steps isn't always easy. We may feel as though we have so much wrong with us that we are totally defective. We might feel like hiding under a rock. Under no circumstance would we want our fellow addicts to know about our inadequacies.

We will probably go through a time of examining everything we say and do in order to identify our character defects and make sure we suppress them. We may look back at one particular day, cringing at what we're certain is the most embarrassing thing we've ever said. We become determined to be rid of these horrible traits at all costs.

But nowhere in the Sixth or Seventh Steps does it say we can learn to control our defects of character. In fact, the more attention we focus on them, the more firmly entrenched they will become in our lives. It takes humility to recognize that we can't control our defects any more than we can control our addiction. We can't remove our own defects; we can only ask a loving God to remove them.

Letting go of something painful can be as difficult as letting go of something pleasant. But let's face it-holding on is a lot of work. When we really think about what we're holding onto, the effort just isn't worthwhile. It's time to let go of our character defects and ask God to remove them.

Just for Today: I'm ready to have my defects removed.
I will let go and allow a loving Higher Power to care for me.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS SADNESS?

When many of us waken up from the haze of our addiction and reflect on the harm we have caused in our relationships, or when we begin to make an inventory of our character defects, a well of deep sorrow may overwhelm us. The question to ask ourselves in this moment is, “Am I saddened enough by the painful mess I am in to be willing to come before God and admit that I am powerlessness over my self-willed ways?” God will forgive us and lead us forward to a new life with Him in recovery if we are willing to follow Him in all our ways.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (Luke 6:21b, 2 Corinthians 7:9b-10 NIV)

God intended us to feel sorrow about what’s gone wrong in our lives, but He wants us to use that sorrow as motivation to turn our hearts towards Him. Wrong is wrong. Harm is harm. We can’t escape the reality of the harm we have caused but we can offer it, together with ourselves and our future, to the God who created us and who will bring new life out of the ashes of our past.

It’s not enough to regret the past. Godly sorrow that the Bible speaks of is the kind that brings us to our knees in repentance before God. We own up to having lived a selfobsessed life with no consideration of the impact it had on others. Godly sorrow also realizes that Jesus came to earth to suffer and die so that we could be free from the penalty of our sins. It’s the type of sorrow that fills our hearts with gratitude as we realize how much Jesus has done for is. Let’s not wallow in regret and shame. Let’s allow our sorrow to move us closer to God and, with His help, live a life of doing what is right and good.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Forgive me for my attitude and actions that brought hurt into my life and into the lives of others who cared for me. Without You, I know I am powerless to live a satisfying life. Help me not to wallow in regret and despair over my past life but to live according to Your principles and share Your goodness with others going forward. Amen

(co: Partners in Hope, Van., B.C.)

3) At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4) But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5) he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6) whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7) so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
New International Version




The 12th step completes the climb of this particular mountain. Remembering the milestones in this adventure brings to mind the pain and joy we have experienced while accomplishing our objective. Our experiences have been unique and individual to each of us. We now realize it all the events of our lives have pulled together to show us our connection to God and creation. Our spiritual awakening has changed us, so now we have the capacity to live our lives as an expression of God's will.

Step 12 requires that we be instrumental in helping others receive the message of recovery. Many of us were introduced to the program by someone who was working with 12 step. Now we have the opportunity to promote our own growth by helping others. Our willingness to share our commitment to recovery and our growing awareness to God's presence in our lives helps us ever-vigilant for ways to share our new confidence. This program called us to take responsibility for the daily living out of our values.

We are reminded by this step that we have not yet accomplished our journey to wholeness. To continue our process of growth, we must be aware that we have begun to learn the principles that will enhance our walk with God. Each of the 12 steps is a vital part of fulfilling God's plan for us. When our daily challenges distract us and separate us from God, we can use the steps as tools God has given us for coping with our problems

November 22, 2019 . . . . . . Foundation first . . . Page 340

"As we begin to function in society, our creative freedom helps us sort our priorities and do the basic things first."
Basic Text, p. 86

No sooner do we get clean than some of us begin putting other priorities ahead of our recovery. Careers, families, relationships-all these are part of the life we find once we've laid the foundation of our recovery. But we can't build a stable life for ourselves before we do the hard, basic work of laying our recovery foundation. Like a house built on sand, such a life will be shaky, at best.

Before we begin putting all our attention to rebuilding the detailed framework of our lives, we need to lay our foundation. We acknowledge, first, that we don't yet have a foundation, that our addiction has made our lives utterly unmanageable. Then, with the help of our sponsor and our home group, we find faith in a Power strong enough to help us prepare the ground of our new lives. We clear the wreckage from the site upon which we will build our future. Finally, we develop a deep, working familiarity with the principles we will practice in our continuing affairs: honest self-examination, reliance upon our Higher Power's guidance and strength, and service to others.

Once our foundation is prepared, then we can go full steam ahead to put our new lives together. But first we must ask ourselves if our foundation is secure, for without our foundation, nothing we build can stand for long.

Just for Today: I will take care to lay a secure foundation for my recovery.
Upon such a foundation, I can build for a lifetime in recovery.

Matthew 7:24&25 New International Version (NIV)
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Jesus is the rock of recovery.

Amen, Bob

November 23 . . . . . . God’s will

“The relief of ‘letting go and letting God’ helps us develop a life that is worth living.”
Basic Text, p. 26

In our addiction, we were afraid of what might happen if we didn’t control everything around us. Many of us made up elaborate lies to protect our use of drugs. Some of us manipulated everyone around us in a frenzied attempt to get something from them so we could use more drugs. A few of us went to great lengths to keep two people from talking to each other and perhaps discovering our trail of lies. We took pains to maintain an illusion of control over our addiction and our lives. In the process, we kept ourselves from experiencing the serenity that comes with surrender to a Higher Power’s will.

In our recovery, it is important to release our illusion of control and surrender to a Higher Power, whose will for us is better than anything we can con, manipulate, or devise for ourselves. If we realize that we are trying to control outcomes and are feeling afraid of the future, there is action we can take to reverse that trend. We go to our Second and Third Steps and look at what we have come to believe about a Higher Power. Do we truly believe that this Power can care for us and restore us to sanity? If so, we can live with all of life’s ups and downs—its disappointments, its sorrows, its wonders, and its joys.

Just for today: I will surrender and let a Higher Power’s will happen
in my life. I will accept the gift of serenity this surrender brings.

In the first three steps we must 1) come to realize that our lives were/are out of our control and had become unmanageable for us alone. and that probably no human power can rescue us from ourselves. 2) We then must come to believe that their is a God, and it's not us. God has the power to restore us to sanity. (May we find him now.) And 3) That we must turn our will and our lives over to his care and guidance. In other words we must learn how to surrender to his kindness, mercy, care and seek his will. Jesus is Lord, We are his people. When he taught us how to pray he said: When you pray, pray like this>

Thank you @Magenta those are lovely. I'm going to PiH for the daily meditation now, Be right back.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019

DEALING WITH ANXIETY

Every one of us deals with anxiety at some point in our lives. Many circumstances can cause us to feel anxious such as: a deadline to find housing and nothing affordable is on the horizon; bills are overdue for payment and there is no money in the bank; being caught in a traffic jam and the time for an important appointment is creeping ever closer, etc. etc. When the mind and body come under stress, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream. We feel jumpy, our hearts beat faster, our breathing becomes irregular, we feel nervous. Often, our sleep is affected. While it's normal to feel some anxiety in certain situations, for some persons this becomes a condition they experience too often, or maybe even all the time.

The Bible tells us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

How can we hope to achieve such a condition where we are not anxious about anything? Isn't that an unrealistic expectation? Aren’t we just setting ourselves up for failure? God says the way to deal with anxiety is to deal with its root cause. If it's anxiety over past mistakes, then God invites us to confess them and receive forgiveness. If we’re worried about a current condition or circumstance and we don't know what to do about it, God's solution is to bring it before Him in prayer, obey whatever He tells us to do, and trust Him to work out the rest.

I confess my sins; they fill me with anxiety. I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy. (Psalm 38:18, 119:143 GNT)

If we're anxious and nervous and not even sure why, we can ask God to help us sort out what's going on in our minds. He'll not only show us what's going on but will comfort us in the middle of our troubled thinking and calm our anxious thoughts.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Whenever I am anxious and worried, you comfort me and make me glad. (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV, 94:19 GNT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your desire is that I live in peace and feel secure in Your care. Help me to understand my heart and bring all my anxious thoughts to You for You are my refuge and my deliverer. You will guide me in the way I should go. Amen

(co; Partners in Hope) Stay tuned.

Resentments are blocks that hold us back from loving ourselves and others. Resentment do not punish the other person; they punished us they become barriers to our enjoyment of life. They prevent us from being in harmony with the world. Resentments are hardened chunks of anger. They loosen up and dissolved with forgiveness and letting go.
Letting go of resentments does not mean we allow the other person to do anything to us that he or she wants. It means we accept what happened in the past, and we set boundaries for the future. We can let go of resentments and still have boundaries!
We try to see the good in the person, or the good ultimately came from whatever incident we feel resentful about period we try to see our part.
Then we put the incident to rest.
Praying for those we resent helps. Asking God to take our resentments from us helps too.

For centuries people with common disorders such as mood disorders, substance abuse, gambling and sex addiction have had to hide their problems. They and are often too ashamed or frightened seek help. This is a tragedy. Many people in the ecumenical communities cannot see, understand or talk about anything beyond sin, shame and guilt. Unfortunately, this prohibits people from honestly coming forward and seeking help. Some expect us to fix ourselves then come to Jesus. That is as ridiculous as fixing a toilet before you call the plumber.

We want to disarm the guilt trip. We know we are sinners; we know we are guilty, what we need is help, not criticism. We're ashamed of many of the things we have done, and what or who we may have become in the process. We must humbly ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and help us to overcome our past as well as the present in order to lead us into a happy, joyous and free future.

This was all made possible by Jesus's death on the cross for all of us and his resurrection proving: HE has the power over sin, death in hell!

We would love for people to be able to speak out loud in front of other believers and discuss their problems however that happens very seldom and in very few places. That is the purpose of keeping the group anonymous. We need God's help and we need each other's support. The Lord sent his disciples in in twos and threes so if one should stumble another may help him or her up and or away from danger, there is strength in numbers. This is not a group for Lone Rangers, it is a group to help each other.

Voice to text typo, it should say; HE has the power over sin, death in and hell!

Thank you. You are living proof that it works. We did not become what we became overnight nor will we change become what the Lord wants us to be over night either. He is the potter we are the clay, allowing him to mold us takes time and willingness to allow him to change us. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Keep up the good work.

November 24, 2019 . . . .Gratefully recovering . . . Page 342

"We entertained the thought that staying clean was not paying off
and the old thinking stirred up self-pity, resentment, and anger."
Basic Text, p. 102

There are days when some of us wallow in self-pity. It's easy to do. We may have expectations about how our lives should be in recovery, expectations that aren't always met. Maybe we've tried unsuccessfully to control someone, or we think our circumstances should be different. Perhaps we've compared ourselves with other recovering addicts and found ourselves lacking. The more we try to make our life conform to our expectations, the more uncomfortable we feel. Self-pity can arise from living in our expectations instead of in the world as it actually is.

When the world doesn't measure up to our expectations, it's often our expectations that need adjusting, not the world. We can start by comparing our lives today with the way they used to be, developing gratitude for our recovery. We can extend this exercise in gratitude by counting the good things in our lives, becoming thankful that the world does not conform to our expectations but exceeds them. And if we continue working the Twelve Steps, further cultivating gratitude and acceptance, what we can expect in the future is more growth, more happiness, and more peace of mind.

We've been given much in recovery; staying clean has paid off.
Acceptance of our lives, just for today, frees us from our self-pity.

Just for Today: I will accept my life, gratefully, just as it is.