Sid's Recovery

Jesus said, "... The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do... I can of mine own self do nothing... I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:19,30). Whenever I read these amazing words of Jesus, I am both humbled and encouraged.

I am humbled to realize that neither can I do anything good without God (John 15:5). It is part of my personality to be a get-it-done kind of guy. That's not a bad thing. But if I do it my way, rather than God's way, I am destined to failure. And, if I try to do things that God is not calling me to do, it profits me nothing -- I'm likely to fail.

I am encouraged to realize that I can experience power in my life, as Jesus did, in spite of my own powerlessness. The apostle Paul once said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13). So then, the question I have to ask myself is, "Will I cooperate with God? Will I be honest about my own powerlessness and choose to trust and obey Him? Or, will I continue to do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results?"

"We admitted we were powerless over our problems, that our lives had become unmanageable." (Step 1)

The battle is raging. The artillery of our enemy is aimed to destroy each and every one of us. If we do nothing, we will surely die! The enemy we face has been in battle for thousands of years and has millions of warriors at his command. Unprotected, we will not survive, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Our "...adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). If we live life our way and on our terms, we will surely fail. We CANNOT be the master of our own destiny.

After trying to fight this battle on my own for many years I finally came to understand that I was powerless. My life had become unmanageable, and I was helpless to do anything about it. The good news is that, in retrospect, I see now that this is exactly where I need to be. "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." (Galatians 6:3)

In a battle, it seems strange to admit powerlessness, still expecting victory. But, humble honesty about our true condition is vital in being able to proceed to the next step toward engaging in the war that we MUST win.

"We admitted we were powerless over our problems, that our lives had become unmanageable." (Step 1)

"When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) NKJV

Have you ever felt weary and scattered? I sure have. There seems to be no lack of problems to deal with, projects to complete, temptations to face, schedules to meet, and hard decisions to make. These things all serve to remind me that, of myself, I am powerless. On my own, I will spin out-of-control to a place I don't want to be.

But, thank God, I don't need to be without the Good Shepherd. I am not alone. When I am feeling weary and scattered, Jesus has compassion on me. And, His Spirit works in me to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), as I choose to surrender my will to His.

But, will I recognize my powerlessness and my great need? If I don't, then I will continue to be weary and scattered. It is only as we admit our powerlessness and realize that our lives are unmanageable that true recovery can begin.

"We admitted we were powerless over our problems, that our lives had become unmanageable." (Step 1)

As humans in need of help, we tend to put on a facade that says, "I can do it myself. I could fix my own problems, if I had any." It's great to have a positive attitude, but are things really that great? Can I really fix my own problems? Or, do I just make myself feel superior to others, thinking that my issues are not nearly as bad as theirs? Or, maybe I try to become an authority on everything, so I can tell others what they are doing wrong. Maybe this gives me some temporary relief from the reality of my own inadequacies. Or, maybe I spend large amounts of time doing good deeds for my community or my church, hoping that this will somehow ease my pain, or give me the victory over those sins that so easily beset me. Or maybe I continually pursue higher, more prestigious degrees, hoping that education will bring me peace and happiness in my soul.

Does any of this sound familiar? Are you in denial about your true condition, as I have been (and in some ways, may still be)? It has been a difficult thing for me to realize my own issues, and my own powerlessness over them. But one of the ironies of recovery (the process of sanctification, as some call it), is that the only way to resolve those sins that so easily beset us, is to admit it, and acknowledge our own powerlessness to resolve them on our own.

Here are a couple of quotes that I really don't like: "There are but two powers that control the minds of men -- the power of God and the power of Satan." (Temperance, p. 276) "Satan takes control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the Spirit of God." (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 79). WOW, I thought I could do my own thing -- control my own mind. But, it seems that it is more complicated than that. It wasn't until I began to understand my own powerlessness, that I was able to begin my recovery process.

God invites us to come out from behind our facade, to get real with ourselves and admit that everything is NOT OK, and that we are powerless over our lives. Yes, it's painful. But the pain has been there all along, just festering into more and more damaging thoughts and behavior.

Isn't it time to face that pain instead of just stuffing it, hoping it will go away? Isn't it time to acknowledge that we need the help of a higher power outside of ourselves? My own personal experience is that it is well worth the pain, to gain the peace and serenity that follows. It's unfortunate that I had to sink lower than a snake's belly before I began to understood my own powerlessness, but that's what it took for me. And, no matter how low you've sunk, there is still hope for you. You too can have a better life, and YOU ARE WORTH IT! Why else would Jesus make the ultimate sacrifice when He died to pay the price for your sins, and mine.

Jesus says, "Yield yourself up to Me; give me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." (Messages to Young People 154) And I guarantee that His good pleasure is infinity better than our default -- satan's evil pleasure.

"We admitted we were powerless over our problems, that our lives had become unmanageable." (Step 1)

"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:14-24)

The apostle Paul well described the feeling of powerlessness that is so essential to the healing process of recovery and restoration -- sanctification. Even now, with many years of recovery behind me, I must recognize my own powerlessness in order to continue to walk the narrow path that leads to heaven. Some think that strange, but Jesus strongly indicated that He practiced this same discipline. "But Jesus never sinned", you might say, and that's right. The Bible is very clear about this (Hebrews 4:15). Otherwise, He would not have been the perfect sacrifice for my sins.

I wonder if one of the reasons that Jesus never sinned was because He recognized the powerlessness of His own human flesh. Look at what He said about that: "... Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself..." (John 5:19). Not only did He admit his own powerlessness, but He also spoke of His reliance on His Father God. "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30).

In a similar way, Paul went beyond the recognition of, not only his powerlessness, but his sinfulness too: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:25) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4)

Friends, as strange as it may seem, there is hope of a better life when we recognize and admit our own weaknesses. "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9). "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Peter 5:10)

"We admitted we were powerless over our problems, that our lives had become unmanageable." (Step 1)