Road To Recovery - Letting Go

Road To Recovery - Letting Go

Luke 8:40-48
The Step of Faith

Principle #1 – Reality
Principle #2 – Hope
Principle #3 – Choice

The First Step to R.E.C.O.V.E.R.Y

• Principle 1 - Realize I'm NOT God!
• I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.
• Matthew 6:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
  • "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor"

The Second Step to R.E.C.O.V.E.R.Y

• Principle 2 – Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover.
• Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
• Matthew 5:4 “Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

The Third Step to R.E.C.O.V.E.R.Y

• Principle 3 – Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.
• Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
• Matthew 5:5 “Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

What keeps me from taking this step?

1. Pride

• Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility”
  • “Arrogant people are on the way to ruin because they won’t admit it when they need help.”
• Proverbs 10:8 “The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall.”
  • “The self-sufficient fool falls flat on his face.”

2. Guilt

• Psalm 40:12-13 “For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!”
• “Problems, far too big for me to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile, my sins, too many to count, have caught up with me and I’m ashamed to look up.”

3. Fear

• Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
• John 8:34-36 “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
• Matthew 16:26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

4. Worry

• The Christian life is a decision followed by a process.
  • Establish the beach head
• I Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
• II Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”
• Philippians 1:6 “God who began a good work in you, will keep right on helping you to grow in His grace until His task is finally completed.”

5. Doubt

• Luke 8:40-48
  • The Step of Faith
• “Help my unbelief”!

How Do I Take This Step?

• I accept God’s Son as my Savior.
• Romans 10:9-10 “… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”
• I accept God’s Word as my standard for living.
• II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching the faith and correcting error for resetting the direction of a man’s life, training him in good living.”
• I accept God’s will as my strategy, as my goal in life.
• Psalm 40:8 “I delight to do your will.”
• Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
• I accept God’s power as my strength.
• Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything God asks me with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.” No longer do I have to rely on my own energy. Things work better when they’re plugged in. You get plugged into God, you’re not so tired all the time. God says, “I will give you My power to be all I want you to be.”
• I accept God’s Son as my Savior.
• I accept God’s Word as my standard for living.
• I accept God’s will as my strategy, as my goal in life.
• I accept God’s power as my strength.