To be “relapse proof” is to be surrendered to a new life that prioritizes God’s will in all we do and say and think. When we accept Jesus’ finished work on the cross for our forgiveness from sin, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Not only on a day to day daily basis, but also moment by moment, the Holy Spirit helps us know and follow the ways of God.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2 MSG)
Making a firm decision to live the life God affirms, and resolving to stay away from those practices that God condemns, is a strong declaration against relapse. We all want stable recovery. We work hard, especially in early recovery, to see our decision become a lived reality. However, it’s much harder than it appears to live daily in God's will rather than in our own self-will. Why is that?
The Bible clearly tells us: “We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)
On our own we can’t win this war. However, with God, everything is possible. Have we invited God to help us today? Are we intentionally and persistently sharing with God the hidden world of our thoughts, desires, and reactions as well as what’s going on in our visible world? Are we fully surrendered to God, choosing to prioritize His will for our lives, and holding nothing back? Priority One for a successful life with God in recovery today is sharing everything with God and consciously choosing His will. When we do this, we can leave all the consequences with Him.
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