Sid's Recovery

It's been said that "there are no atheists in foxholes". As we begin to recognize our own powerlessness, as we hide in our "foxholes" from facing the "war" against the evil that so easily besets us (Hebrews 12:1), we begin to realize that there must be a power greater than ourselves that can deliver us, because these battles are just too great for us to be able to fight them on our own.

I think that the God of creation put within us a desire, and a need, to fellowship with Him and to reverence Him as our Lord and Savior, because He is the only God that can bring us true happiness. The trouble is that we tend to look to fill that most basic of all human needs with other gods. Since the God of creation is not a god of control, he lets us make those choices to follow other gods. But those gods do try to control us -- to remove our freedom of choice. Consequentially, we find ourselves in behaviors that become habits that often lead to addictions -- things that forcibly control our lives.

I believe that only the God of creation, the Almighty God of the universe, is able to deliver us from those little gods that forcibly control our lives -- those little gods that force us into our "foxholes" of isolation. Friends, He is able. Yes He is able to do infinitely more than we can even imagine to restore us to sanity.

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

"Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." (Step 2)

I came to believe that my higher power, God the Father through Jesus Christ, not only could restore me to sanity, but longs to do that good work in me. Here are some reasons why:

• I came to realize that I could NOT restore myself (Step 1), that I needed a higher power than myself.
• The angel said that Jesus "shall save his people from their sins". (Mt 1:21)
• Paul said that we are NOT "sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Cor 3:5).
• And that we can be "strengthened with might by his Spirit" (Eph 3:16).
• Jesus "is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him " (Heb 7:25).
• Jesus is "not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9) and is able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph 3:20)
• But, my biggest reason for believing is because Jesus does all these things for me, as I put my trust more and more fully in Him and choose to follow Him (Step 3). This is why I can say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

"Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." (Step 2)