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Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/31/12 - Step 2 - The Process of Coming to Believe

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." Romans 1:16-20 NLT

Step 2: We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For most of us there is not one particular event, experience or circumstance that is the singular reason we now believe in God and that He is our path to recovery. It is usually a process, a combination of events, or to use a legal term a preponderance of evidence that begins to convince us that He is our source of help and strength.

In Step 1 we admitted that we, in and of ourselves, didn't have the ability to help ourselves, and now after probably searching for several things to substitute with are beginning to see the evidence that we are incomplete without God. Every one of us was born with a God shaped whole in our soul, a space so vast that only God can fill it. We have probably spent our lives trying to fill that hole with everything we can find only to finally begin to realize that nothing outside of us would fill it. There is not enough sex, money, drugs, bad relationships, jobs, degrees, self help books, material wealth, etc. to take the place of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

When we really look at the evidence of how badly we ran our own lives, and how devastating the choices we made could be, it becomes hard not to realize He can help us. For some of us it make take a while to see the mountain of evidence that we were destroying ourselves and that He is the only One that can fix it. However, once that revelation comes to us, we can truly begin to heal. It is a great relief once finding out that we can't help ourselves that there is a Power that can, and He is just patiently and lovingly waiting for us to ask.

***For the next 12 posts God has led us to take a trip through the 12 Steps for Christian Recovery in order to reaffirm the nature of the Recovery Christian Center. Join us Saturdays at 5pm for an awesome time in the Lord***

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Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/30/12 - Step 1 - The Irony of Powerlessness

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NLT

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over our problems, that our life had become unmanageable.

One of incredible and ironic things about powerlessness is that once we admit we, in and of ourselves, don't have the power to conquer what has kept us in bondage we open ourselves up to finding the real power. The reason many of us refuse to accept our powerless is because of the very nature of our predicament. Denial, self centeredness, self destruction, over inflated ego, and pride mixed with shame and guilt keep us from acknowledging that we are truly coming to the end of our road. Regardless of the individual manifestation of whatever has kept us in bondage, the feelings of dereliction, shame, guilt, hopelessness and the total lack of self esteem have kept us locked for so long.

The simple act of admittance that we are powerless and that our lives have become unmanageable is the powerful first step towards finding help. That's the irony. If we just admit that we can't, we can finally open the door to Who can. It's time to stop fighting and just surrender. It's time to stop beating our heads against the wall and admit that we need a way out. We might be just a fragile clay jar but once we admit that we are just that, we can begin to find the great treasure, but if we refuse and keep trying to think we can handle this which is slowly killing us, we will stay lost. Surrender is our only option.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/29/12 - Humility is Vital

"Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 NLT

It was once said that humility is the fuel for the engine that is Christian recovery. It is so vitally important to any Christian that one would ask if you have no humility are you even saved? It is especially true for addicted folks because our bondage was rooted in ego and total self centeredness. In the beginning of our recovery and walk with Christ it isn't hard to find humility because of our circumstances. As our circumstances improve, it can be tempting for some to forget where they came from and allow the old ego to begin to take back over. We can become intolerant and judgmental just like the Pharisee in the text as if somehow we are better than someone else because God has granted us grace and mercy. The lack of humility will set us up for failure. However, if we maintain the humility of the tax collector and begin to realize that our recovery and our salvation comes from God and we didn't do anything to deserve it, we will be in a much better position to be used by God. Humility is the key to unlocking who God whats us to be.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/28/12 - Help For Those Who Struggle

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:28-20 NLT

This scripture can be very attractive and comforting to those who are struggling and in bondage to addiction or other self destructive behaviors. Christ is offering a way out of the intense loneliness, hopelessness, and suffering we endured for so long. Of course there is a price for this freedom. The price is believing in Him and living a life that demonstrates that belief. That is the yoke Christ is talking about.

Part of the yoke means that we who are free offer the same love, compassion, acceptance, kindness, tolerance and gentleness to those who are struggling that Christ showed us. We can't afford to be judgmental or intolerant of those who aren't where we are because Christ didn't act that way with us.

Christ is offering help to those who struggle, and many times the vessels He uses are those of us He has already helped. We should be ready, willing and able out of the simple gratitude for having found the help. Pour into someone else like Christ has poured into you. It's been said that we keep what we have by giving it away. That's just as true for our walk with Christ as it is for recovery. We need to give away what He has given us because we are grateful and because it will make room for us to receive more of Him.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/27/12 - Stand for Something or Fall for Anything

"Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.” Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept." Mark 14:66-72 NLT

There will come a time for each of us in our recovery and our relationship with Christ where we must stand up for what we believe and who we are regardless of what others think. Whether its our non recovering friends who can't understand why we can't engage in just a little bit of our old behavior that had us in bondage, or why we still go to meetings and church after years of being free. While it maybe tempting especially in situations where we want to fit in or be accepted, we will find out that operating in integrity when it comes to how we live is always better.

While some folk may not like us for who we are, they will respect us more if we actually live what we profess, and even if they don't they didn't bring us out of the darkness we were stuck in anyhow. Sometimes being totally sold out for God and our recovery will make us unpopular but the alternative of being back in bondage is much worse.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/26/12 - Step 12 - The Mission In The Message

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory." Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.

By the time we reach this step God has radically changed us. Gone is the broken, lost, hopeless individual enslaved to bondage. We are, hopefully, transformed into loving, Christ centered, spiritual individuals well on our way to becoming the individual God has called us to be. A large part of that calling for any recovering Christian, regardless of where our gifts and talents lie, is sharing the message that has given us so much hope with someone else that's struggling. In fact if we are truly changed, its not just a calling but a powerful desire in us to see those who are where we were get to where we are.

In addition to being our calling, and hopefully our desire, it is also an expression of our gratitude to God for what He has done for us. Gratitude is an action word and this is the main way God wants us to put it in to action. Sharing the message of finding new life in Christ is for everyone. As we continue on our walk God will place folk in our path that will be uniquely affected and changed by our testimony and experience. Identification can be powerful. Who is better suited to help an addict other than someone who has been in bondage to addiction? Who is better suited to help someone paralyzed by grief than someone was in the same condition? We must understand and accept that God didn't save us to just go on with our lives. He saved us for a purpose, for a mission, and that mission is carrying His message!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/25/12 - Step 11 - Joy in God's Presence

"What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you. Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple." Psalm 65:1-4 NLT

Step 11: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God through Jesus Christ, seek only knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.

At this point in our recovery and walk with Christ, even though we are still making mistakes, we have grown and many of the major obstacles interfering in our ability to have a deep, personal relationship with God have been removed or diminished. The point of the 11th step is to bring about a change in our prayer life. For many of us our prayer life is about providing God a "to do" list and then going about our business. By the time we get to the 11th Step its time to focus less on our desires and more on what God desires for us. We spend less time talking and more time listening.

One of the great things about just listening to God is the immense joy we will begin to find from simply being in His presence. When we really begin to open ourselves up to God and allow ourselves to turn our laundry list into an actual conversation with God we will see wonderful things begin to happen. The more we begin to just spend time with God listening to Him the more we can be confident that the decision we make reflect His will.

We were once broken, hopeless and lost until we found our way. That way was a personal relationship with God. Like any other relationship, we must spend time getting to know God, and when we do through our prayer life and studying His Word, we will find joy in His presence.

Here is the video from tonight's service at NLRC. Due to technical difficulties the video cuts off before end of sermon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEu_YMEBldY&context=C4c0247eADvjVQa1PpcFMpnmJ5lIe1fgOHQcH9N8Q9U0_qqAA4S1Q%3D

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/23/12 - Being Selfless

"Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:14-18 NLT

One of the common misconceptions about recovery is that it's a selfish process. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. Prior to meeting Christ and coming into recovery we epitomized selfishness, but as we grow spiritually we find out that selfishness don't mesh well with this new life. In fact we find ourselves need others not just to meet our own needs but we also begin to feel a desire to help others find what we have found. Freedom in Christ.

Most of us begin to realize that our ongoing recovery and spiritual growth depends on us being there for others. We can't recover or grow in Christ in a vacuum. Not only do we need folk to help us grow, but we need to help others as well. One of the antidotes to our total self centeredness is getting outside of ourselves to help others in need. We will also begin to find joy in being selfless. We that victimized those around us are now helping others.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/21/12 - Step 10 - Old Issues Sometimes Come Back To Haunt Us

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. " 1 John 1:8-10

Step 10: We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

One of the challenges with maintaining our spiritual growth is that sometimes issues we would prefer to be free of may still have a hold over us. Even if the particular issue hasn't plagued us in a while, a new set of circumstances may all of the sudden trigger the old familiar but destructive patterns. Since this old pattern doesn't line up with our new life in Christ, we maybe tempted to hide them and stuff them do our feelings of shame and guilt. We are afraid of disappointing God and ourselves. The enemy will also try to exploit our mistakes as a way of saying we are a failure and even try to get us to doubt our recovery and our relationship with God.

The text tells us, however, that God approaches our ongoing struggle with sin and self from a whole different perspective. He wants us to bring our issues to Him and He wants to help us get back on track. He knows that we are going to continue to struggle. Everyone in Christ and recovery struggles with something. Sometimes its a new issue that we are previously unaware of and sometimes an older issue that we thought had been removed just manifests in a new way. Either way we need to take all of this to God, immediately.

We can't get the help that we need if we try to pretend like the struggle doesn't exist. We are imperfect creatures serving a perfect God who will help us get a little less imperfect if we just ask.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/19/12 - Faith in Action

"The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you! “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’” Luke 17:5-10 NLT

Sometimes in this process we have to be reminded that God didn't intervene in our lives for us to be the masters. He saved us and helped us overcome our bondage to whatever manifestation of addiction or destructive behavior that brought us to life recovery in Christ so that we could use what He has done in our lives to attract others to Him. Our service to Him is simple gratitude for what He's done in our lives. We can't even ever begin to pay Him back for what He's done for us.

Unfortunately many of us operate under a sense of entitlement that because we're clean and in Christ that God owes us something. In truth He has already done the most wonderful thing He could ever do. We are saved and free. If God never did anything else that would and should be more than enough. It's time to show God some gratitude just for that.

Our faith grows by putting this gratitude into action. We serve Him and help others and He continues to work things out in our lives. No matter what the situation or the circumstances if we just put that small measure of faith that we already have into action and trust God, He will work it out because He loves us. God will not ask us to do anything He wont give us the ability to do.

Too many times we need to stop telling God how big our problems are and start telling our problems how big our God is!

Tonight's Service was AWESOME! Minister Bryan M Kilpatrick from Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church preached that thing! God is really moving at RCC!

Join us this Saturday at 5pm at 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 as We are joined by a Special Guest, Minister Bryan Kilpatrick AKA Bryan K from Enon Tabernacle. This service will change ur life!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/15/12 - Love, Compassion, Tolerance and Acceptance for All

"You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48 NLT

When most of us came into recovery and to Christ one of the one of the amazing attractions was the love we received, and how folk tolerated that we were still engaging in our old behaviors. They had compassion for our struggles and accepted us for who we were regardless how bad we seemed or what we had done. The most amazing part of it was we got all of this from folk we didn't even know. Many of us will say if it wasn't for that love, compassion, tolerance and acceptance we received in early recovery we wouldn't have been able to stay clean or begin to build a relationship with God and ourselves.

So why is it so hard for us to practice those same spiritual principles with others? Why are we judgmental and intolerant of new folk? Why can't we find it in our hearts to have compassion for somebody else who's struggling. When we truly examine ourselves we find that some of our greatest acts of intolerance are toward folk who are struggling with something that we are now free of. Sadly we forget that it took us 20 years to get free and they've only been struggling with it for a year but "they betta get it now!"

However, whats really sad is that this lack of willingness to practice spiritual principles is only extended to folk we either don't know or don't like. The folk we like get a pass. The text warns us that this isn't how spiritual, save folk who've been brought out of what we've been brought out of are supposed to act. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves how blessed we are that God has not been that impatient, intolerant, and judgmental with us. It's time we began treating everyone, even the folk that have hurt us and we dislike, the way that God has treated us and the way that we were treated by others when we were lost. We need to remember that every other human being, regardless of how we perceive their value are priceless to God and as His children they should be priceless to us as well.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/13/12 - Procrastination

"A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. 'Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.' He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him." Acts 24:24-26 NLT

Although the text of the rest of this chapter appears that the Roman Governor Felix was just delaying Paul's case for political expediency and favor with the Jews, the fact that he kept Paul in conversation and made him as comfortable as possible in while in custody shows that there was a deeper conflict going on in side of him. He knew that in reality Paul had done no wrong and his personal curiosity about early Christianity proves God was tapping him on the shoulder just like He did for many of us. Even being curious about it was political and possibly literal suicide for a Roman official because the official Roman policy on Christianity was one of persecution. So for Him to talk to Paul outside of official proceedings was risky at best. The reality is still that Felix missed a blessing because he procrastinated in doing what he knew in his heart was right regardless of the risks.

Many times in recovery we're just like that. God is tapping us on the shoulder about something in our lives that needs to change, whether is was the destructive behavior that got us here, or a new bondage that we've substituted with or just the latest character defect that is causing us or others harm, but we continue to procrastinate because we don't really want to give up what is holding us back. It may also be that God is calling us to something, such as a new level of service, or going back to school or starting a business, but because of our fears, inadequacies, or low self esteem we put it off. Many times our willingness to procrastinate comes from being lulled into a distorted sense of comfortability by those same inadequacies. Our minds tell us we are fine where we are, why put ourselves out there? We forget that God will never ask us to do something without giving us the ability to accomplish it.

We need to understand that procrastination is only holding us back from a deeper relationship with God, moving further in our recovery and realizing our full potential in Christ.

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 3/9/12 - Its OK to Grieve

"God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4 NLT

One of the realities of being in recovery and in a relationship with Christ is that grief and loss are realities. Each one of us with every loss will experience a different grieving process. It's very important that we don't allow ourselves or anyone else stifle that process. We need to feel what we need to feel. There is a popular saying among recovering addicts called "feel, deal and heal" It simple means feel what you need to feel so that you can deal with it and heal from it." Unlike some Christians, those of us who struggle with this demonic force known as addiction, have come to understand that we used because of we never could deal with our emotions. Grief is one of the most powerful emotions and if we don't process it thoroughly it will send us sliding backward.

The text says we will be comforted. God loves His children completely, and like any good Father, He feels our pain. If we lean on Him, He will comfort us. If we talk to Him about it in prayer, He will help us process it. He is even patient with us when we are angry with Him because the person He called home was one we loved passionately. He will even lead us to people who have been through our grief so that they can help us as well. He does all of this because He loves us. Every parent has had to make a decision sometimes that our children didn't like, mainly because they didn't understand it, and rather than respond in anger we are lovingly patient because we know that eventually they will understand why we did what we did. God does the same thing with us when we don't understand our circumstances particularly when it comes to the death of a loved one.

Unfortunately, some of the people around us because they don't have the ability to deal with their own emotions, let alone ours, will attempt to tell us to get over it and move on. Its vitally important that we ignore that. We may be tempted to cut our process short and stuff our feelings down into a box, lock it and throw away the key. God does not want us to to do that because He knows that we will turn those unprocessed feelings into resentments that will poison our spirit. The bottom line is... it's ok to feel and its ok to grieve. Don't let anyone else or even your own dissatisfaction with the length of the process cause you to stifle it. God wants to comfort you and He wants to heal your pain, but healing doesn't begin until we confront that very pain in an open and honest manner.