Road To Recovery

1
Road To Recovery

• Celebrate Recovery

2
1. PAIN

• We are going to talk about how to handle and how
  to overcome the hurts in our lives, the habits
  that are messing up our lives and the hang-ups
  that have caused PAIN in our lives.
• I have seen his ways, and will heal him I will
  also lead him, and restore comforts to him, and
  to his mourners. I create the fruit of the
  lips Peace, peace to him who is far off and to
  him who is near.  Says the LORD. Isaiah 5718,
  19

3
2. TOUGH

• The fact is life is TOUGH. We live in an
  imperfect world. Were hurt by others and we
  hurt ourselves and we hurt other people.

4
3. ADMIT

• The first principle of Celebrate Recovery (based
  on the Beatitudes) is Realize that I am 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 that they are
  spiritually poor. Matt. 5

5
4. OUT OF CONTROL

• Do you ever stay up late when you know you need
  sleep? Do you ever eat or drink more calories
  than your body needs? Do you ever feel you ought
  to exercise but you dont? Do you ever know the
  right thing to do, but you dont? Have you ever
  tried to control SOMEBODY or something and found
  out it/they were uncontrollable?

6
5. SIN

• We need to understand the cause of our problem
  then the consequences of the problem, then the
  cure of the problem. The cause of our problems
  is our SIN nature.
• I dont really understand myself, for I want to
  do what is right, but I dont do it. Instead, I
  do what I hate. But if I know that what I am
  doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the
  law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong it
  is sin living in me that does it. Romans
  715-17

7
6. CONTROL

• We want to be God. We want to decide what is
  right and wrong, call our own shots, and make the
  rules, and be in CONTROL.

8
7. IMAGE -- PEOPLE

• How do we play God?
• A. We try to control our IMAGE. We want to
  control what other people think of us. We play
  games, we wear masks, we pretend, we fake it, and
  we want people to see certain sides of us and we
  hide others.
• B. We try to control other PEOPLE. We use guilt,
  fear, praise, silent treatment, anger and rage.
  Parent to childchild to parenthusband to
  wifewife to husbandfriend to friend.

9
7. IMAGE -- PEOPLE (continued)

• How do we play God?
• C. We try to control our PROBLEMS. We use
  phrases like I can handle itI dont need any
  helpIll work it out on my own. Then the more
  we try to work it out on our own, the worse it
  gets.
• D. We try to control our PAIN. Trying to avoid
  it, deny it, escape it, reduce it, and postpone
  it. We eat, drink, smoke, and get in and out of
  relationships, all to control our pain.

10
8. CONSEQUENCES of playing God

• FEAR. We are afraid somebodys going to find out
  who we really are, that we dont have it all
  together.
• FRUSTRATION. Walking around thinking that we are
  so powerful and that we can handle it when we
  cant.
• FATIGUE. Trying to control everything takes a lot
  of energy Ps. 32, David said, My strength
  evaporated like water on a sunny day until I
  finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped
  trying to hide them
• FAILURE. Trying to take on Gods job description
  is guaranteed failure. Proverbs 2813 (GNB)
  Youll never succeed in life if you try to hide
  your sins. Confess them. Give them up. Then
  God will show mercy to you.

11
9. The CurePOWERLESSNESS

• The first step in the Road to Recovery is to
  admit our POWERLESSNESS. We need God and we need
  people.

12
10. Three Important Facts of Life

• Admitting I am NOT God
• I admit that I am powerless to change my past.
  It hurt, I still remember it, but all the
  resentment in the world isnt going to change it.
  I am powerless to change my past.
• I admit that I am powerless to control other
  people. I try, I like to manipulate them, I use
  all kinds of little gimmicks, but it doesnt
  work. I am responsible for my actions, not
  theirs. I can't control other people.
• I admit that I am powerless to cope with my
  harmful habits, behaviors, and actions. Good
  intentions are not enough. How many times have
  you tried and failed? Will power is not enough
  you need something more than will power. You
  need God, because He Made you to need Him. I
  need God.