Meditations on ""

Growing and being renewed day by day is part of our physical, emotional, and spiritual life. God has provided guidance for us in the Bible, including principles we can learn that will strengthen our desire to move forward and not give up hope.

The exact nature of our wrongs is rooted in the lie we tell ourselves that our problems are caused by what is around us rather than what is within us.

Thank goodness we are not expected to know everything the first day we come into recovery. We learn as we go. We do that through studying and observing; through listening to others; through putting healthy principles into action; and even through our mistakes. So, where do we start if we are to grow wise?

When we come to Step 4 in the 12-Step program we are asked to focus on ourselves and make a searching and fearless moral inventory. Taking responsibility for our actions is a great first step in the right direction.

If we decide to proceed with what God tells us to, no matter how incredible it might seem, we will experience the joy of seeing God work in ways we never thought possible.

We need to seek God to awaken us to the harmful choices we are unwilling to disclose.

It truly is possible to live a purposeful life of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit when we seek God’s direction in all our affairs.

The longer we live in sobriety the more we recognize that we have lots to learn.

If we seek the Holy Spirit to help us think on things that are right and pure, He will help us.

Doing the right thing may make life more challenging and inconvenient in the moment but, as we take the long-term view in this new life we are building, we will find that doing what is right has far more lasting benefits than we could ever have imagined.

Too many people think that all the fun gets left behind when we are no longer going to bars and parties where substances are used and abused. What many of us have discovered is that there is much more enjoyment in the fun times of life when we experience them sober rather than when we were “under the influence.”

Jesus wants us to experience the joy of knowing that we are valued and that we belong.