POWERLESS Principle 1: Realize I'm not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.

"Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor."

Matthew 5:3a (TEV)

Step 1:

We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Romans 7:18 (NIV)

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POWERLESS

PRIDE – Ignorance + pride + power = a deadly mixture

Proverbs 29: 23 - "Pride ends in a fall, while humility brings honor."

Here are some pride statements:

• I'm supposed to have it together.
• I'm the one that my friends and family come to when they need encouragement and advice.
• I am a counselor, I should not have any problems.
• I have this under control, I can do this my way.

Want to make God laugh, tell him your plans for your future.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

ONLY IFS - keep us trapped in a fantasyland of rationalization

Luke 12: 2-3 - "Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight."

What in your past has caused you to have the "if onlys"? Ex.: "If only" I had stopped ______years ago. "If only" ______________ hadn't left me.

If only I wasn't a felon, if only I wasn't an addict, if only I had a job, if only I, if only I, If I only had a brain! In this program we start testimonies with I am a grateful believer in JC who struggles with __________. I do not struggle with ______, instead I have been blessed with many trials and tribulations that have strengthened me and my relationship with Jesus Christ.

WORRYING – a form of not trusting God enough

Matthew 6:34 - "So, don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time."

What is worry? It is defined as, "to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret. To torment with cares, anxieties, etc.

Instead of worrying about things that we cannot control, we need to focus on what God can do in our lives. What are you worrying about? Why?

If I worry, that simply means that I am not trusting God enough. If I truly believe in God, than I know one thing - God's got this! If you have trouble, try this short little prayer:

So, Lord - I give these worries to you. Lord forgive me for worrying - I know your word says to not be anxious for anything - Lord help me to trust you more!

ESCAPE –a world of fantasy and unrealistic expectations of us and others

Ephesians 5: 13, 14 - "For light is capable of showing up everything for what it really is. It is even possible for the light to turn the thing it shines upon into light also."

In what ways have you tried to escape your past pain? Be specific.

Journal Entry:

I have tried to dull the pain with excess foods, drugs, alcohol, relationships, shopping, violence and sex. I have learned to recognize the pain now for what it is and am able to work through it with the Lord's help. It's a vicious cycle - life's stress and regrets can make me feel hopeless and then I use, and that makes me feel even more hopeless so I use again - You can only imagine how glad to be off of that merry-go-round I am. I'm no longer hiding from these things and have searched myself and realized that my not trusting the Lord is sin, and that the act of addiction is sin, and not exercising and treating my body as God's temple is sin - so I've repented from these things - I still fail, but I'm recognizing it quicker and getting back on track.

RESENTMENTS – an emotional cancer if allowed to fester and grow will cause bitterness towards others and God.

It causes us to:

1) Betray others.

2) Use hurtful words.

3) Underperform.

4) Withdraw support.

5) Not prioritize relationships the same way.

6) Behave in ways that come off as inconsiderate.

Ephesians 4: 26-27 - "In your anger do not sin ... do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

How has holding on to your anger and your resentments affect you?

It's made me sick. Holding onto these things and stuffing down the feelings with addiction, has kept me from growing up and growing in the Lord. This has been a process of uncovering things I was holding on to and had to really internalize that if God loved me so much, enough to send His Son to die for me - and has forgiven me - then I needed to let go and "accept" His forgiveness and trust in his forgiveness.

LONELINESS – In recovery and in Christ, we never have to walk alone

Hebrews 13: 1-2 - "Continue to love each other with true brotherly love. Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it."

Do you believe that loneliness is a choice? Why or why not? How has your denial isolated you from your important relationships?

Yes, loneliness is definitely a choice. It may be subconscious at times, but it is a choice. I can remember feeling so lonely in groups of people that I knew.

EMPTINESS

John 10:10 – Jesus said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

Describe the emptiness you feel and some new ways you are finding to fill it?

I used to feel empty. I felt that I had no purpose, that I was nothing, no good, a alcoholic and drug addict. When I woke up in the morning, I knew that right there was probably the best that I would feel all day, maybe the rest of my life.

SELFISHNESS – we often pray, our father who art in heaven, gimme gimme

Luke 17:33 - "Whoever clings to his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall save it."

What does it mean to be selfish? It is defined as, "devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others. Characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself."

Selfishness is at the heart of most problems between people.

In what areas of your life have you been selfish?

SEPARATION – some talk of finding God, as if He could ever get lost.

Romans 8: 38, 39 - "For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't and life can't. The angels won't and all the powers of hell itslef cannot keep God's love away ... Nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died for us."

Separation from God can feel very real but it is never permanent. What can you do to get closer to God?