Friday, January 18, 2013 -- Am I Willing To Live In Love (2)
Friday January 18, 2013
When we first came into recovery we tended to focus on our past behaviour. For years we tried to cover our pain with addictive substances or behaviours because that was what seemed to work at the time. The pain came from bad things done by us, and/or to us. We felt anger, guilt and shame, often to an overwhelming degree. We had suffered injustice and so we felt we deserved to have comfort and went after that in whatever convenient ways we found it. We didn’t question the impact our choices might have on others. Others did not consider the impact of their behaviours on us so we felt justified in “doing unto others as others had done to us”. We did what we felt we “had to do” to survive and have a little happiness.
God invites us to give ourselves over to Him – body, soul, and spirit (words, behaviours, thoughts, desires, choices, and worship) – with permission for God to transform us in every area, into a new person. Two significant areas in need of transformation are a) Feelings of guilt and shame, anger, accusation, condemnation etc. etc. and, b) The desire for "doing things our own way."
God clearly explains His way of living and then leaves the choice with us. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you…. but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 NLT) God’s way is simple. We choose to receive Him and to believe He is good. Regardless of what we may feel we choose to follow His ways so we can enter into the life we were created for. We are willing, with God’s help, to change the way we think. When our thinking and God’s word clash, we repent, lay our own thoughts down, and choose for God’s. We match our behaviour to our new understanding of how life works. Here’s how this is described in the Bible:
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT)
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT)
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