I’m so EXCITED for the lesson at Celebrate Recovery this week. I’m anticipating God to set some people free. We walk through those doors feeling like the weight of the world rests upon our shoulders. We’re carrying baggage from work. We’re carrying hurts from our past. We’re carrying frustration and disappointment from our marriages and relationships. Yet, and here’s the crazy part, we do NOTHING about it. We do the same things over and over and over again, expecting a different result each time. That’s INSANITY!
Here’s where I find my excitement rising, my anticipation growing, my passion burning…God wants to free us, free you, free me from these burdens. We’re carrying a mess that doesn’t belong to us, yet we cling to it as if IT was our source of life, our identity. This week’s lesson is SANITY.
Soundness of mind.
Wholeness of mind.
Rational.
Sanity.
I don’t know about you, but I WANT THAT! I have such a strong desire to be WHOLE. And this Friday we’ll be discussing how to get to that point and hopefully stay there. SANITY is not a temporary stop in our journey, it’s the path we walk. SANITY becomes a reality when your decisions are based on truth, not feelings. Let me say that again, SANITY becomes a reality when your decisions are based on truth, not feelings. You might be asking, “What is truth?”
Jesus. Read John 14:6.
Principle 2 reads: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover (emphasis mine).
Step 2 reads: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to SANITY (emphasis mine).
Feelings are fleeting. Feelings are inconsistent. Feelings are temporary and temperamental. Feelings are the unstable foundation, the sand that couldn’t sustain the house during the storm (Matthew 7:26-27). Feelings will mislead you. Feelings will misguide you. Feelings will lead you down a slippery slope. Feelings will lead you to relapse. God is just the opposite.
God is forever. God is consistent. God is, was, and will be. God is faithful. God is just. God is the rock (Matthew 7:24-25). God will lead. God will guide you. God will keep you on track, on the path of everlasting. God will send your relapse to hell where it was birthed and ultimately belongs. God is able.
God will give you STRENGTH to overcome your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. He turns your greatest weakness into your greatest strength. He fills your every need. He builds you up. Relying on your own power is what led to darkness of your past and maybe your present. Relying on your own strength is why you’ve remained stuck in your mess. I can’t do it on my own. You can’t do it on your own. Recovery starts when we realize God has the power to help us recover. Recovery starts when we rely on HIS STRENGTH, HIS POWER.
When you start to trust God, when you start to give up whatever sense of control you THINK you have, when you finally let go and allow God to invade your life, SANITY doesn’t seem so distant. God grant me the serenity to accept things I CANNOT CHANGE, the courage the CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, and the wisdom to KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. Aren’t you tired of trying to control things? Aren’t you tired of trying to change people? ACCEPTANCE is key to obtaining SANITY. God will help you learn to accept people as they are and let me tell you why…He accepted you as you are. THAT’S grace. THAT’S mercy. THAT’S Jesus.
I’m praying for our people to be consumed by God’s grace and mercy this Friday at Celebrate Recovery. I’m praying for our people to be set free from past hurts and hang-ups. I’m praying for our people to find SANITY through an intimate relationship with Jesus.
Here’s where I find my excitement rising, my anticipation growing, my passion burning…God wants to free us, free you, free me from these burdens. We’re carrying a mess that doesn’t belong to us, yet we cling to it as if IT was our source of life, our identity. This week’s lesson is SANITY.
Soundness of mind.
Wholeness of mind.
Rational.
Sanity.
I don’t know about you, but I WANT THAT! I have such a strong desire to be WHOLE. And this Friday we’ll be discussing how to get to that point and hopefully stay there. SANITY is not a temporary stop in our journey, it’s the path we walk. SANITY becomes a reality when your decisions are based on truth, not feelings. Let me say that again, SANITY becomes a reality when your decisions are based on truth, not feelings. You might be asking, “What is truth?”
Jesus. Read John 14:6.
Principle 2 reads: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover (emphasis mine).
Step 2 reads: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to SANITY (emphasis mine).
Feelings are fleeting. Feelings are inconsistent. Feelings are temporary and temperamental. Feelings are the unstable foundation, the sand that couldn’t sustain the house during the storm (Matthew 7:26-27). Feelings will mislead you. Feelings will misguide you. Feelings will lead you down a slippery slope. Feelings will lead you to relapse. God is just the opposite.
God is forever. God is consistent. God is, was, and will be. God is faithful. God is just. God is the rock (Matthew 7:24-25). God will lead. God will guide you. God will keep you on track, on the path of everlasting. God will send your relapse to hell where it was birthed and ultimately belongs. God is able.
God will give you STRENGTH to overcome your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. He turns your greatest weakness into your greatest strength. He fills your every need. He builds you up. Relying on your own power is what led to darkness of your past and maybe your present. Relying on your own strength is why you’ve remained stuck in your mess. I can’t do it on my own. You can’t do it on your own. Recovery starts when we realize God has the power to help us recover. Recovery starts when we rely on HIS STRENGTH, HIS POWER.
When you start to trust God, when you start to give up whatever sense of control you THINK you have, when you finally let go and allow God to invade your life, SANITY doesn’t seem so distant. God grant me the serenity to accept things I CANNOT CHANGE, the courage the CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, and the wisdom to KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. Aren’t you tired of trying to control things? Aren’t you tired of trying to change people? ACCEPTANCE is key to obtaining SANITY. God will help you learn to accept people as they are and let me tell you why…He accepted you as you are. THAT’S grace. THAT’S mercy. THAT’S Jesus.
I’m praying for our people to be consumed by God’s grace and mercy this Friday at Celebrate Recovery. I’m praying for our people to be set free from past hurts and hang-ups. I’m praying for our people to find SANITY through an intimate relationship with Jesus.
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