Road to Recovery - Step 1

Road To Recovery - Step 1

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10

O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
Psalm 30:2

I have seen how they acted but I will heal them, I will lead them and help them and I will comfort those who mourn. I offer peace to all near and far.
Isaiah 57:18-19

God’s Great Promises
5 parts to recovery that God wants to do in your life.

1. If you have been hurt, God says “I want to heal you.”
2. If you’re confused, “I want to lead you.”
3. If you’ve ever felt you were helpless to change anything, “I want to help you change that.”
4. If you’ve ever felt no one understands your problem, “I want to comfort you.”
5. If you feel anxious and worried and afraid, “I want to offer peace to you.”

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13

“… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23

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 Cause of My Problem: Sin

• I don’t understand myself at all. For I really want to do what’s right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to do but what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I’m doing is wrong, but I can’t help myself. It’s sin inside me that’s stronger than I am, that makes me do those evil things. Romans 7:15-17
• There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12
• For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:5

How we “play” God:

• By denying our humanity
• By trying to control everything for selfish reasons.
  • Perception
  • People
  • Problems
  • Pain

How do we play God?

• 1. We try to control our image. Perception
• • We want to control what other people think of us
  • We play games, we wear masks, we pretend, we fake it – “Stained Glass Masquerade”
  • We deny our weaknesses
  • We deny our feelings “I’m not angry, I’m not upset, I’m not worried, I’m not afraid.”
  • We don’t want people to see the real us.
• Misperceptions!
  

• 2. We try to control other people.
  • Parents try to control kids
  • Kids try to control parents
  • Wives try to control husbands
  • Husbands try to control wives.
  • There are office politics in your office.
  • Countries try to control other countries.
• We use a lot of tools to manipulate each other.
  • We use guilt to control, we use fear, we use praise, some of you use the silent treatment to control, anger, rage.
• 3. We try to control problems, our problems.
  • We’re good at this. We use phrases like: “I can handle it, it’s not really a problem.”
  • I don’t need any help and I certainly don’t need counseling.
  • I can quit any time, I’ll work it out on my own.
  • The more you try to fix your problem yourself, the worse the problem gets.
• 4. We try to control our pain.
  • Have you ever thought how much time you spend running from pain?
  • Trying to avoid it, deny it, escape it, reduce it, postpone it.
  • Sometimes we try to postpone our pain by eating or not eating.
  • We try to postpone our pain by getting drunk or by smoking or by taking drugs or by getting in and out of relationships.
  • Or you develop some kind of compulsive habit.
  • Or you become abusive and you get angry with other people or critical and judgmental to hide your pain.
  • Or you get depressed.
• Pain comes when we realize in our quiet moments we’re not God and we can’t control everything and that’s scary.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
--C.S. Lewis The Problem of Pain

Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul.
--C.S. Lewis The Problem of Pain

The Consequences of playing God

• Four Problems
  1. Fear
  • Genesis 3:10 (Adam) “I was afraid because I was naked so I hid.”
  • We are afraid somebody’s going to find out who we really are, that we’re fakes, we’re phony, we really don’t have it all together, we’re not perfect.
  • “Stained Glass Masquerade”
• 2. Frustration
  • Romans 7:21, 23 TLB “It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong … something else deep within me … is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me slave to the sin …”
  • Psalm 32:3 TLB “My dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration.”
  • Dave & Buster’s mallet game!
• 3. Fatigue
  • Psalm 32:4–5 TLB “My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them.”
  • It’s tiring playing God.
  • Most people try to hide their pain and run from the pain by keeping busy.
• 4. Failure
  • Proverbs 28:13 GNB “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.”
  • When you try to play God that’s one job description you’re guaranteed to fail at.

CCC Vision
At CCC our vision is stated in one word – Blessing!

It is the dream of a place once seen as cursed become a blessing!“ A place where the hurting and hopeless can find healing and the Living Hope. A place that is small in men's eyes used of God to touch the whole Kansas City metro area.
A safe place to grow and go!

The Cure:

• Admit your powerlessness
  • 1. I admit that I am powerless to change my past.
  • 2. I admit that I am powerless to control other people.
  • 3. I admit that I am powerless to cope with my harmful habits, behaviors, actions. Good intentions are not enough.
• Will power is not enough!
  • You need HIS WILL, HIS POWER!

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. - James 4:6
Grace is the power to change!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

“ have seen how they acted but I will heal them, I will lead them and help them and I will comfort those who mourn. I offer peace to all near and far. - Isaiah 57:18