Category: Addiction

Got Jesus?

10/31/2014

Got Jesus?

Working in the mental health allows me to see people as who they really are and how they believe. If we are successful, we are able to pull the façade down that is placed for everyone else to see and get a glimpse of the real person. We all have our false fronts; things we do, things we say, ways we act in order to not let people know what is really going on. It is once I am able to get to the real person; I am able to challenge them on what is called “magical thinking”. This is where we have come to believe certain things about life, ourselves, others and God through our upbringing, that are not based on solid facts, but wishful thinking, misuse of the Bible, or catch phrases used through our time of development. This leads me to the story of a client, when challenged on his behaviors and thoughts would always reply “I got Jesus, I don’t needy anybody else”. Our last conversation is stuck in my mind forever and it is a mindset that many people have. It went like this:

Client: I got Jesus, I don’t need anybody else.

Me: You GOT Jesus, huh?

Client: Yeah! I got Jesus why do I need you or anybody else!?

Me: Well…where do you “got Jesus”

Client: Right here (pointing to his chest)

Me: Does He always stay there

Client: Yes – He never leaves

Me: So…when you are smoking marijuana, partying, using foul language, gossiping about others, and drinking alcohol; is Jesus still there?

Client: He never leaves me

Me: Hmmm…Wouldn’t it be better if Jesus had you?

Client: (Deer in the headlight look)

This conversation shows the kind of magical thinking that many possess. It is almost like the “God in a Box” skit I have seen many times. That is where we keep God in a box and only pull Him out when we need Him. All other times, we keep Him in the box so He can’t see what we are doing.

This gentleman had also incorporated the catch phrase from years gone by of “Got Jesus?” a spinoff of “Got Milk?” Through the years, his magical thinking skills had convinced him that as long as he had Jesus, he could live life as he pleased.

The point of my story is this; would it not be better if Jesus had us instead? For me, I surrendered my life to Jesus. I surrendered my heart; body and soul to Him for His glory not mine, so in reality, Jesus has me. I know we often get caught up in catch phrases, but these phrases are devices made from the human nature that rules our world. If used to often, they can distort the Truth and get us thinking into the wrong direction. Let us not forget what it says in 2 Peter 1:3-11:

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter gives us wise words and reminds us that God called us and chose us. In other words, “Jesus Got Us” not “I Got Jesus”. There is a big difference between the two. When we are in control, we only rely on Jesus in times of crisis or times of joy. When Jesus has us, he has surrounded us with His love and grace to help and guide us to life of righteous living. This goes along with another overused phrase today; “Jesus doesn’t want me to live a miserable life, He wants me to be happy”. I disagree with that statement. Jesus did not call us to be happy; He called us to be holy. In order to be holy we must be willing to suffer trials and tribulations, be willing to sacrifice for Him and suffer ridicule from others. None of this sounds like being happy. We allow ourselves to get caught up in the latest trends and we need to stop, think and reach for the Bible to see if this stands on solid ground or sinking sand. I don’t know about you, but “Jesus Got Me” and I don’t “Got Jesus”.

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Steps 1-3 Towards Christ

12/21/2013

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Steps 1 – 3 of how we can grow closer to Christ

In order to preface this blog it is necessary to restate what steps 1 through 3 are.

1.     We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable. Scripture reference comes from Romans 7:18 “for I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.”

2.     We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Scripture reference comes from Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you too will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

3.     We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.
Scripture reference comes from Romans 12:1 “therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.”

The additional principles that go along with these three steps are as follows:

1.     Realize 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. Scripture reference comes from Matthew 5:3 “happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.”

2.     Earnestly believe that God exist, that I mattered to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover. Scripture reference comes from Matthew 5:4 “happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

3.     Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. Scripture reference comes from Matthew 5:5 “happy are the meek.”

When I look at step one and break it down for individuals I came to realize that the statement did not apply to only addictions and behaviors but also to those who desire to truly follow Christ. We can change the wording and substitute words for addictions and compulsive behaviors because there are many other things that get in our way of truly following Christ and worshiping Him. If we were to change addictions and compulsive behaviors to barriers, or habits, or rituals, etc., then you can see how it does apply to the person who truly desires to become Christ-like. It is in our daily walk that we allow many things to come between God and ourselves without even realizing it. We have become so accustomed to the fast pace and love it when we can be in a routine that it often becomes a barrier that does not allow us let Christ truly lead our actions.

Principal one that goes along with step one puts a very well in stating that we are powerless without Christ. No matter how hard we try to do what is right and what is good we will continue to do the wrong unless we have confessed and admitted that we are powerless against the things of this world and have allowed Christ to be the guiding force and light in our life to choose the path that we choose to walk. This is often referred to many as denial and many Christians live in denial that their walk with God is truly a righteous one. If we are to be honest with ourselves, then we must also realize the many sins we commit during the day as well as the many barriers we allow to come between us and God, which also isolate us from Him, leaving us powerless against the forces of this world.

Step two recognizes the fact that we must come to believe that there is a power greater than ourselves that can restore us to sanity. That higher power of course, is Christ our Lord and Savior. As it states in Hebrews 11:6 “anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” There are many who believe that God exist but are not convinced that he has the power to change us, the power to restore us, and the power to love us unconditionally. It is that recognition of Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and lead us through temptation that allows us to maintain our sanity in the world that has become insane. Principal 2 that goes along with step two uses the word “earnestly” which means “with serious intention” to believe that God exist and that no matter what I have done, I matter to him, and He alone has the power to help me recover. In this phrase we can change the word recover to relinquish. Relinquish what barriers that come between God and ourselves. It is through our belief and acceptance of Christ that we become a new person and that the person from before is now dead and we are risen in Him. So once we realize that we are truly powerless against all things in this world then we must come to the realization that it is only with Christ that we can truly make sense of this world and live life worthy of His calling in this world.

In step three we make that decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. Once again, there are many of us who have claimed to do this but through our actions, others can see that we really have not committed our lives to Christ. We still continue to fall into the same traps, follow the same methods of madness that we did before we were Christians and still allow those barriers to come between God and ourselves. The principal in this step uses the word “consciously choose” to commit our life to Christ. To be conscious is to be “totally aware” at all times of what we are doing. In our daily lives we must ask ourselves “have I allowed the world, busy schedules, work, money, family, etc., to become a barrier to my pathway to Christ”. I believe if we answer that honestly, we will all have to answer yes; there have been times in my life that I have allowed these things to come between me and Christ and in doing so I have not allowed His will and His desire to be carried out through me. This is one of the hardest things to do because it involves trust. We must be able to trust God and the let go of our decisions and let Him control our decisions in life. I have met very few people in life who I can honestly say I believe that they truly have left their entire life to be guided by Christ. The rest of us are somewhere between 40 and 70% guided by Christ, but we have to hang on to that other percent so that we know that were still in charge. We must come to realize that we are not in charge, God is in charge and if we allow him to take charge, His will, will be done and it will be beneficial to all who surround us.

As I look over steps 1-3, I can see that these steps deal not only with addictions but deal with our life as a whole and how we live as Christians. If we have not met steps one through three and have not eliminated the barriers in our life that we have allowed to come between us and God, we had not admitted that we are powerless in this world without Him, and we still continue to want to control the percentage of our life and not allow him to have total control and maybe we need to sit down and go through steps 1 – 3 and become reacquainted with God. If there is ever a time to do this, the time is now because He is ready, willing, and able to turn your life upside down and back around.

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12 Steps Towards Christ

11/25/2013

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The Twelve Step Programs are not for Addicts Only –

We Should all Live by Them

            I have spent the last several years working with those who have succumbed to addictions and helping them by working through what is known as the 12 step program. I also combine cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and what is known as the choice theory. In going through the steps over and over again, I have come to realize that when we apply the biblical principles alongside the 12 step program it is just not a guide to for those who are addicted, but a guide for those who desire a closer relationship with Christ. There are two particular programs that I work with which are biblical-based; Celebrate Recovery and Over- comers Outreach. My intent of this blog is to take you through the 12 step program as described in the Celebrate Recovery and the eight principles that go along with the 12 steps. Due to the length of this, and the importance of understanding the need for all Christians to challenge themselves with this program, I will not do it in one blog but break it down into a series of blogs.

            This first section is going to be an outline of the 12 steps and their biblical comparisons as listed in the Celebrate Recovery manual and then the eight principles based on the Beatitudes for the Road to Recovery. Read through the steps with an open mind and not with a mind closed because you think these apply only to those who suffer of addictions. If we are to be real with ourselves, as we read these and look at the biblical comparisons we will come to an understanding that we all can benefit from following and maintaining these steps in our lives.

Celebrate Recovery’s Twelve Steps and Their Comparisons

1.     We admit we are powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives have become unmanageable.
a.      For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (Romans 7:18).

2.     We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
a.     For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13).

3.     We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.
a.     And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:1).

4.     We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
a.     Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. (Lamentations 3:40)

5.     We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
a.     Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:16).

6.     We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
a.     Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)

7.     We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
a.     If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

8.     We made a list of all persons we have harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
a.     Due to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

9.     We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
a.     Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and they are remember that your brother or sister has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

10. We continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong promptly admit.
a.     So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12)

11. We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.
a.     Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly. (Colossians 3:16).

12. Having had a spiritual experience as a result of these steps we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
a.     Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

As part of the Celebrate Recovery’s program, they also give the Eight Principles Based on the Beatitudes that lead to the road to recovery.

1.     (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 on manageable.
a.     Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor. (Matthew 5:3).

2.     (E) Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that he has the power to help me recover.
a.     Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4).

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

   4.     (O) Openly examine and confess my false to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.
a.     Happy are the pure in heart. (Matthew 5:8)

   5.     (V) Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask him to remove my character defects.
a.     Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires. (Matthew 5:6)

   6.     (E) Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.
a.     Happy are the merciful. (Matthew 5:7)
b.     Happy are the peacemakers. (Matthew 5:9)

7.     (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.

8.     (Y) Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.
a.     Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires. (Matthew 5:10).

As you read through these 12 steps along with the eight principles with an open mind you can see how that these steps, if applied to our daily lives, can help us to build a stronger relationship with Christ. The world that we live in today has become unmanageable and we are powerless within it. It is only by the grace of God and his guidance that we are able to enter this world, to live in this world, survive in this world, and still retain our moral principles that are based on Christ and His Word, the Bible.

Over the on coming weeks, I’m going to break these principles down to help us understand how by following them they will draw us closer to God, and show us the many faults we have in the lives that we are living now so that we may turn to him to help bring us out from the norms of this world and into the presence of His world.

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After spending 27 years working in retail, customer service and human resources, I realized that the majority of my days were spent counseling others. I returned to school and received my bachelors degree in Psychology/Christian Counseling and have obtained a Master's degree in Pastoral Counseling/Marriage and Family Therapy. I am a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor through the American Association of Christian Counselors and the Board of Christian Professional and Pastoral Counselors. I am licensed as a minister of Pastoral Counseling and an ordained minister through the National Association of Christian Ministers.

Got Jesus?

Steps 1-3 Towards Christ

12 Steps Towards Christ

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