Holding Nothing Back
Step 5 is often a tough step to complete. With great apprehension we have made a fearless moral inventory of ourselves and now we must admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. To expose what has gone on in our lives, even to ourselves, is humbling for we feel awkward and ashamed about some of the things that are on our inventory list.
Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and sincere grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Then when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord, he will lift you up, encourage and help you. (James 4:9-10 TLB)
Allowing ourselves to grieve over the events we have participated in is part of the healing process. It means we see the error of our ways and have a desire to change. God will encourage and help us heal from the source that set us on the downward spiral to addiction. He will also free us from those things which have been part of our lives but are no longer in keeping with God’s will for us. The Power of God working in us will enable us to do those things that please God.
For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them. (2 Timothy 1:7 TLB)
Those who have travelled this path before us say we should hold nothing back because of guilt or shame. The Lord Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and endured the associated shame on the cross so that we might share in His glory. When we consider the price Jesus paid to give us new life, why would we hold on to guilt and shame when we could be gloriously free?
Jesus led many of God’s children to be saved and to share in his glory. (Hebrews 2:10b CEV)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Thank you for enduring the guilt and shame of my sin on the cross. Help me to humble myself and admit the exact nature of my wrongs so that I can be gloriously free in Your presence for evermore. Amen
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