THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Step 1—Recognize and Admit: The Role of Confession and Breaking the Power of the Secret
The first thing an addict must be willing to do is face himself or herself with courageous but brutal honesty and say, “This is me! It’s not about the other person. I recognize and admit that I have the problem. In fact I may be the problem.” People can carry the “secret” of their struggle for years and the only thing they experience is the growing power it has over every aspect of their lives. Honest reflection is critical if one is to break through the fear and shame and take personal responsibility for what needs to be done. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NASB). Confession requires bringing things into the light where they become visible (see Ephesians 5:13). The child cries out at the “monster under the bed” until the light is turned on. Only then are things seen for what they really are. The same is true when it comes to an addiction. Bring it into God’s light where the Great Physician can perform the necessary surgery.
Step 2—Clean Out the Infection: The Role of Grieving and Breaking the Power of Denial
There is a need for the painful and/or distorted emotions within the addict to be addressed and resolved so the potential for healing and restoration can exist. Otherwise sinful and destructive patterns will continue to have a negative impact on life. These emotional wounds may become infected, and infections have a natural way of spreading. It will not be easy or pleasant—no infection is attractive—but the source of pain needs to be cleansed. Just like a parent who must touch and gently clean the scraped knee of their child, so too God must be allowed to “touch” the sensitive, hurting, and broken places in the addict’s life. And He graciously provides opportunities throughout Scripture. David and other psalmists were constantly crying out before God and there was no minimizing or denying the reality of what they were wrestling with. Psalm 62:8 says, “Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (NASB). Only then can a healing salve and bandage be applied. When addicts turn to God with their greatest fears and deepest griefs, they will always encounter the safest hands. This requires repentance and godly sorrow.
Step 3—Renew the Mind: The Role of Truth and Breaking the Power of Unbelief
A wrongful and unbalanced belief system usually contributes to an addictive lifestyle. How people think about the beliefs they carry may have so distorted the truth that they are now bound by the lie that is lived out. The enemy of the soul is a liar and a deceiver, but the ability of God’s Word to give discernment, clarity, direction, hope, wisdom, and changed thinking is evident. The addict is transformed by the renewing of their mind (Rom. 12:2) and the washing of His Word (Eph. 5:26). Just as the rain softens the ground, making it easier to weed the garden, so truth has a way of softening one’s “heart ground,” allowing God to pull out the things that tend to choke life. He is a faithful gardener, but when an addict’s heart is hard and closed, He usually is able to get only what’s at the surface and not down to the root of the matter. His grace and truth must be allowed to wash over every part of the person. The result will be not only new life but life in great abundance.
Step 4—Exercise the Will: The Role of Accountability and Breaking the Power of Fear
While owning the problem, dealing with damaged emotions, and having a renewed mind are all important, they are not enough. Concrete and proactive steps must be taken through confession, repentance, obedience, and accountability. Every journey really does begin with a first step. Committed action is usually the result of strong conviction and is evidence that the addict is ready to move on and beyond the past. The apostle Paul told the Philippians that he was “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (3:13 NASB). The truth, however, is that most addicts cannot do it alone—they need others to walk with them. Someone once said that accountability is the breakfast of champions, but too many people skip the most important meal of the day. Isolation is Satan’s primary tactic to take out a believer. The person who is alone is an easier target. In 1 Kings 4:1–19 there is a list of Solomon’s key officials. Embedded in this list is a priest named Zabud, who is called “the king’s friend” (NASB). Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had the insight to have someone in his inner circle whose primary role was apparently that of friend. Who is the addict’s Zabud? They must identify these accountability partners and ask them to prayerfully consider taking the journey with them.
Tim Clinton and Eric Scalise, The Quick-Reference Guide to Addictions and Recovery Counseling: 40 Topics, Spiritual Insights, and Easy-to-Use Action Steps (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 16–18.
12-STEPS TO CONSIDER IN CHRISTIAN RECOVERY
1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and dysfunctional behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable (Admitting Our Powerlessness, Matthew 9:9-13; Admitting our Lives are Unmanageable, Romans 7:14-8:2).
2. Came to believe that God, a Power greater than ourselves, could restore us to sanity and stability (Believe that God’s Power is Greater than Ours, Psalm 86; Being Restored to Sanity, Daniel 4:27, 29-34).
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as revealed in the Bible (Turning Our Wills over to the Care of God, Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Turning Our Lives over to the Care of God, Romans 12:1-2).
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves (Recognizing Our Sins, Psalm 51).
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs (Confessing Our Sins, 1 John 1:9).
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character (Getting Ready for Change, Psalm 32).
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings (Asking God to Change Us, Psalm 51:7-17).
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all (Becoming Willing to Make Amends, James 3:13-17).
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others (Making Amends, Matthew 5:23-24, 43-45).
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it (Practicing Self Awareness, Psalm 139:23-24; Continuing Confession, Hosea 14:1-2,4).
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscience contact with God as revealed in the Bible, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out (Seeking God, Psalm 118:25-37; Asking for Guidance, Psalm 143:7-11).
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs (Carrying the Message to Others, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Practicing the Principles. Galatians 5:13-23).
12-Steps taken from Revel, Dawson III, Dr. ,"Managing The Madness:from Addiction to Devotions" (Tate Publishing: Mustang, OK, 2007), pgs. 14-15.
1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and dysfunctional behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable (Admitting Our Powerlessness, Matthew 9:9-13; Admitting our Lives are Unmanageable, Romans 7:14-8:2).
2. Came to believe that God, a Power greater than ourselves, could restore us to sanity and stability (Believe that God’s Power is Greater than Ours, Psalm 86; Being Restored to Sanity, Daniel 4:27, 29-34).
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as revealed in the Bible (Turning Our Wills over to the Care of God, Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Turning Our Lives over to the Care of God, Romans 12:1-2).
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves (Recognizing Our Sins, Psalm 51).
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs (Confessing Our Sins, 1 John 1:9).
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character (Getting Ready for Change, Psalm 32).
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings (Asking God to Change Us, Psalm 51:7-17).
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all (Becoming Willing to Make Amends, James 3:13-17).
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others (Making Amends, Matthew 5:23-24, 43-45).
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it (Practicing Self Awareness, Psalm 139:23-24; Continuing Confession, Hosea 14:1-2,4).
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscience contact with God as revealed in the Bible, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out (Seeking God, Psalm 118:25-37; Asking for Guidance, Psalm 143:7-11).
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs (Carrying the Message to Others, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Practicing the Principles. Galatians 5:13-23).
12-Steps taken from Revel, Dawson III, Dr. ,"Managing The Madness:from Addiction to Devotions" (Tate Publishing: Mustang, OK, 2007), pgs. 14-15.