Sid's Recovery

Not only is the God of my understanding my Savior, Friend, and Guide, but He is also my loving King. He accepts me just the way I am, no matter how low I've sunk into my dependencies. But He does even more! He provides the will and the means to restore me to sanity, as I turn my will over to His in total surrender to His guidance.

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." (Philippians 2:13 ).

As I began to understand this principle and to practice it, God began delivering me from my dependencies. Each time that I surrender to Him (admitting to myself and God my powerlessness) as temptation comes to me, He gives me the victory! He never fails me. What an Awesome GOD!

You too can have this kind of freedom! "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." (Eph 3:20-21 )

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." (Step 3)

Failure in understanding about turning my will over to God is what kept me in my addictions for 25 years. And, as I have associated with many people who want a better life, it has been my observation that it is nearly always failure to embrace this principle that keeps them from progressing in their recovery process. Based on my experience, I have a theory as to why this is. I believe that, when we practice this principle, the powers of evil lose their grip on us, and they will do everything in their evil power to keep us in bondage.

Another reason why this principle is so hard to embrace is that it is painful to surrender ourselves -- even to the loving Higher-Power that CAN restore us to sanity. We would still rather follow our own paths -- doing the same stupid things we've always done, expecting different results. But when I think about it logically, that kind of thinking is just insane, even though my tendency is to go there. The apostle Paul describes the experience we need to have like this: "I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 ).

It is only when I die to doing things my way, at the cross, and surrender my "weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God" (Ministry of Healing page 176), that I am able to have the victory over the sin that so easily besets me. This is the key factor that started me into my recovery process and this is the key factor that keeps me in recovery today. When I choose to do it my way, I fail. But, when I choose to surrender my will to God in the moment of temptation, He gives me the victory! PRAISE GOD!

"As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings."
(Christ's Object Lessons, page 333)

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." (Step 3)

As near as I can tell, there are only two great powers in this world -- The power of Goodness and the power of evil. Depending upon our learning history we may call these powers by different names. But I suspect that, deep down, nearly all recognize these two opposing forces at work in their lives.

Rather than focusing on the naming of these powers, Step 3 is all about which of these great powers we choose to ally ourselves with, to serve, and to obey. Will we continue to serve the god of self-centeredness who has led us into our destructive patterns of dysfunction? Or, will we choose to serve the God of goodness, mercy, and love -- who longs to deliver us from those behaviors that bring us so much pain -- the God that we declared in Step 2.

This is the God that will never leave us, nor forsake us, but rather will be with us and help us till the end... This is the God who would never lead us down paths that we would not choose for ourselves, if we could see the end from the beginning -- as He can.

And so, I invite you this day to choose you, whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the God of goodness, love, and deliverance -- the God of my understanding (Joshua 24:15 ).

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16 )

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." (Step 3)

"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

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. (Romans 12:1 )

Having accepted my own powerlessness (John 5:19,30 ) and began to accept God as my only hope of living a victorious life (John 15:5 ), I learned that by giving my will to God I could have victories over all of my temptations.

Once I began practicing these first three steps, God began leading me through all the other steps, before I even knew what they were. If the thought of having to do 12 steps in order to deal with your pain frightens you, don't worry. It's these first three (I Can't..., God Can..., I Choose to let Him...) that really make the difference between a life of failure and a life filled with victory! Come, and experience the power!

Remember that "God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 13:5 )

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." (Step 3)

Once we've learned to admit our powerlessness (John 5:19,30 ) and assent to God's all-powerfulness (Zephaniah 3:16-17 ), then we need to take action. But the action I took kept me bound in my addictions for 25 years.

I would continually try to try harder to resist the devil. I was in charge, trying to do hand-to-hand battle with the devil and I was the loser. Trying harder is a dialog between us and satan. How foolish is that?!

It wasn't until I began to surrender myself to God, in each moment of temptation, that I began to experience real victory. What's the difference? Rather than dialoging with satan, when I surrender my will to God, the dialog is between me and God. As a result, God has a dialog with satan. When that happens, satan loses and I win. But I only win because I admit my powerlessness, assent to God's all-powerfulness and take the action of submitting my will to God's. Then, God fights the battle for me -- and wins!

Deliverance does not come in my strength, but rather in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9 ). That's faith. That's why it was said of the people of faith in Hebrews 11 that, "out of weakness [they] were mad strong [and] waxed valiant in fight" (Hebrews 11:34 ).

He understands my weaknesses, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:15-16 ). All I ever have to ask, in times of temptation, is "Lord, what would you have me to do? (Acts 9:6 ). Whenever I do this -- with a surrendered spirit -- He gives me the victory. The victory is the Lord's, but it only happens with my cooperation. I can do nothing without Him (John 15:5 ), but "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13 ).

One of my favorite authors has made numerous statements supporting this step of surrender. Here are just a couple. "When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven… The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God." (DA 173). "As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings." (COL 333).

And so, I must frequently ask the question, "Who’s in charge?" Is it me, or am I choosing God as, not only my Savior, but my Lord as well? This is my prayer: "Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all." (1 Chronicles 29:11 ) -- Especially me.

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." (Step 3)