The 12 Steps for Christians

06/07/2022

I Will Free You

Why does God make us wait?

Have you ever asked that question? God is all-powerful, so why doesn’t He fix our circumstances and remove our pain the moment we are saved? The Bible answers those questions in a few places. For example, Peter tells us God is gracious and kind, wanting as many people as possible to come to know Him.

But there’s also work God wants to do in us while we’re waiting. When we ask Jesus into our lives, our spirit is made perfect. But our body and soul — what we do, and what we think and feel — are still far from perfect.

We come into God’s family full of sin, full of hurt, and full of baggage. So from the moment we are saved to the day Jesus returns, God teaches us the values of this new family we’ve been adopted into. He doesn’t do this by giving a list of rules to follow, but by giving us the Holy Spirit as a guide.

As we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His lead, new desires displace our old ones. Freeing us from our old way of doing things is a lifelong process that requires our participation.

We have to be willing to admit we have issues. We also have to let ourselves think differently. We might even have to change our influences — surrounding ourselves with different people, programs, or pastimes.

But as crazy as it might sound, true freedom comes from submission. We spent our lives before Jesus chasing what feels good and doing what we thought was right. And in the end, we were never fulfilled.

Each time we follow the Holy Spirit, we become a little more like Jesus and a little less like who we used to be. Confidence that we are God’s children replaces the knowledge that we are God’s children. And that’s where the real adventure begins.

Pray
God, thank you for dying to save me and sending the Holy Spirit to guide me. Free me from my old way of thinking and any baggage I’m still carrying around. Show me where I need to think differently and follow your lead.

Challenge
Do you feel free or is your life ruled by rules? What’s one thing you’ve been doing that God never said you needed to do? Quit it. Today. Then, ask Jesus how you should spend that time instead.

04/25/2022

I was powerless, Lord.
I expected you to increase my shame and self-contempt.
But you are a God of unfailing love.
I expected you to use your power against me.
But when I called, you came.
You crashed the gates.
You cut the bars.
You broke the chains.
You are leading me out of this darkness and deepest gloom
into the light of day.
Thank you.
Amen.

04/21/2022

04/13/2022

Peace and anxiety cannot coexist. But the good news is, anxiety and prayer can’t coexist either. So, use every anxious thought to motivate yourself to pray. God wants you to experience the peace that “transcends all understanding,” even in your anxious moments.

09/22/2021

If we don’t worship God, we will naturally find our affections and identity placed on something else. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of the things that have captured our hearts and taken hold of our souls.

04/04/2021

Those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Hope gives us strength. We need strength for the journey of recovery. We need strength to make the changes that need to be made -- and strength to grieve the losses which come with change. We need strength to keep on keeping on. Recovery requires a great deal of physical, emotional and spiritual strength. We draw that strength day-to-day from hope.

There are times when hope will allow us to soar. We will feel the exhilaration of change and new freedom. We will think about the future and imagine good things. We will soar with gratitude and joy because of hope.

There are other times when hope will allow us to run and not grow weary. We will keep going. Keep changing. Keep working. Keep feeling. We may get tired but hope will keep us from getting weary and wanting to give up. Hope helps us to keep running.

There are other times when hope will allow us to walk without fainting. Some days, in our recovery journey, continuing the journey at all is very difficult. The struggle we face may be so intense that we would faint if it were not for hope. But hope helps us to take the next step. One slow step at a time. Step by step, without fainting.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of hope.
Thank you for the days when hope
allows me to soar.
And for the days when it
allows me to keep running.
And thank you for the days when hope
gives me the courage to walk
without fainting.
Thank you for hope.
Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan

03/25/2021

When we dwell on all our blessings, the character of our loving God and Father, and all His beauty seen in nature, then we live from those settling truths. However, whenever we think about what we don’t have and what is wrong with our world, we can struggle with depression and anxiety. There is a battlefield in your mind. Your life will always move in the direction of your strongest thoughts. So arm your mind and thoughts with life-giving truth!

03/03/2021

Daily Meditation for Wednesday 03rd of March 2021
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11
The Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, is pictured many times in the Bible as a Shepherd God. This may not be shocking to modern readers - most of us don't know much about sheep herding beyond the few sentimental ideas we may have about rural life. But nothing was more ordinary in biblical times than sheep herding. It was a dirty job. It was a low prestige job. A shepherd lived with his sheep. Day and night he was with them, paying attention to their needs, providing protection, and guiding them.
For the little ones in the flock, the most vulnerable ones, there was often a need for individual care and attention. In times of special need or danger, the shepherd would seek them out, lift them into his arms and carry them close to his heart.
This is how God cares for us. God is a God of gentleness, of tender affection, of protection, and of nurture. Our God is a Shepherd God. When we feel afraid or vulnerable, God is aware of our need. We are gathered into God's arms. We are carried close to God's heart.
I am your lamb, Lord
The wolves are not far off.
Pick me up and hold me in your arms.
Carry me close to your heart.
Allow me to experience the mystery of being held by your loving arms.
Amen.
Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan

02/15/2021

The real challenge of my faith won't be accepting Jesus; it will be accepting His process with me.

02/10/2021

In-Between

Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be willing to be in-between.

One of the hardest parts of recovery is the concept of letting go of what is old and familiar, and what we don’t want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for God to fill them.

This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in between pain and the joy of serenity and acceptance.

Being in-between can apply to relationships. To prepare ourselves for the new, we need to first let go of the old. This can be frightening. We may feel empty and lost for a time. We may feel all alone, wondering what is wrong with us for letting go of the proverbial bird-in-hand, when there is nothing in the bush.

Being in-between can apply to many areas of life and recovery. We can be in between jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. This can apply to behaviors that have protected and served us well all of our life, such as caretaking and controlling.

We may have many feelings going on when we’re in-between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety, fear, and apprehension about what’s ahead. These are normal feelings for the in-between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.

Being in-between isn’t fun, but it’s necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we’re standing still, but we’re not.
We’re standing at the in-between place. It’s how we get from here to there. It is not the destination.

We are moving forward, even when we’re in-between.

Today, I will accept where I am as the ideal place for me to be. If I am in-between, I will strive for the faith that this place is not without purpose, that it is moving me toward something good.